Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Ajay Kothiyal, KC, SC, VSM (Retd) is an Indian politician and a former officer of the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the Land warfare, land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Arm ...

. He is a BJP leader, earlier he was leader of

Aam Aadmi Party The Aam Aadmi Party (; AAP) is a List of political parties in India, political party in India, as one of the national political parties. The AAP was founded in November 2012 by Arvind Kejriwal and his then-companions following the 2011 Indian ...

(AAP) and was the CM Candidate for 2022 Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly elections. Kothiyal lost the election to BJP candidate in Gangotri Assembly constituency. In May 2022, he resigned from AAP and joined BJP. He is also a

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...

and philanthropist, and was the principal of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM),

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

. He was the head of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering,

Uttarkashi Uttarkashi, meaning Varanasi, Kashi of the north, is a town located in Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, India. Uttarkashi town is headquarters of the district. Uttarkashi is also known as Somya Kashi. Uttarkashi is a religious place for spir ...

when the institute was given the task of rescue and rehabilitation around the

Kedarnath temple Kedarnath Temple (Sanskrit: केदारनाथ मंदिर, IAST: ''Kēdāranātha Mandira'', ) is a Hindu temple roughly 1200 years old dedicated to Shiva. The temple is located on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river ...

, after its destruction by a flash flood in 2013. Kothiyal is unmarried. His non-profit trust, "Youth Foundation" trains young boys and girls from Uttarakhand to join the Indian Army. He was given the

Uttarakhand Ratna Uttarakhand Ratna is one of the two highest civilian award of the State of Uttarakhand, along with Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman. It is awarded to a person for their extraordinary contribution in any field of human endeavour. It was constituted in th ...

award in 2016 for his contribution to uplift and provide employment to youth of Uttarakhand.

Early life

Kothiyal was born on 26 February 1969, as the eldest son of Inspector General (Retd.) Satyasaran Kothiyal,

Border Security Force The Border Security Force (BSF) is India's border guarding organisation on its border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) of India, and was raised in the wake of the 1965 war on 1 December 1 ...

and Sushila Kothiyal. His alma mater include

St. Joseph's Academy, Dehradun St. Joseph's Academy, Dehradun (SJA) is a co-educational Indian Certificate of Secondary Education school in Dehradun, the capital of the state of Uttarakhand in India. Founded in 1934, the school is governed by the Society of the Brothers of ...

Brightlands School Brightlands School (or Brightlands) is a private school located in the Curzon Road suburb of Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India. Brightlands was established in 1958 by Mrs Narang as a school for primary students. After her demise, her son Ravi Narang ...

Kendriya Vidyalaya The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan () is a system of central government schools in India that are instituted under the aegis of the Ministry of Education, Government of India. , it has a total of 1,248 schools in India, and three abroad in Mo ...

Dehradun, D.A.V.Post Graduate College Dehradun and

Indian Military Academy The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the oldest military academies in India, and trains officers for the Indian Army. Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, it was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up ...

Military service

After completing his graduation, he cleared the CDS exam and joined the Fourth Battalion of

Garhwal Rifles The Garhwal Rifles, formerly known as the Royal Garhwal Rifles, are an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was originally raised in 1887 as the 39th (Garhwal) Regiment of the Bengal Army. It then became part of the British Indian Army, and a ...

Regiment as Second Lieutenant in 1992. In 1994, Colonel Kothiyal started training in 'basic mountain warfare' from

High Altitude Warfare School The High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) is a defence service training and research establishment of the Indian Army. In 1948, the Indian Army established a ski school in Gulmarg that later became the High Altitude Warfare School, which speciali ...

(HAWS). Colonel Kothiyal (then Major) was part of the first team of the

that successfully summited the

Mount Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow hei ...

in 2001, under the leadership of Brigadier Krishan Kumar

AVSM Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime Dis ...

. On 12 May 2003, Indian Army had carried out its first surgical strike in Pulwama district under the leadership of Major Kothiyal. He was wounded in the operation, in which seven terrorists were neutralized. He was awarded

Kirti Chakra The Kirti Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, including posthumous awards. It is the ''pe ...

. He still has two bullets inside his body. In 2011, he decided to scale the eighth highest peak in the world, Mt. Manaslu. No Indian had ever successfully climbed this mountain. Fighting harsh weather and inhospitable conditions, his team unfurled the Indian Flag at the peak of Manaslu on 9 May 2011. He was awarded "

Vishisht Seva Medal The Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) is a decoration of the Indian Armed Forces. It is awarded to recognize "distinguished service of a high order" to all ranks of the Indian Armed Forces. From 1980, the Yudh Seva Medal was introduced to recognize exc ...

". In 2012, Colonel Kothiyal led a team of seven female officers from Indian army and successfully scaled the world's highest peak for the second time. Mrs Pratibha Singh Patil,

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murm ...

at that time, awarded him

Shaurya Chakra The Shaurya Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice while not engaged in direct action with the enemy. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, sometimes posthumously ...

. In 2013,

, India's pilgrimage shrine was hit by natural disaster in which many lost lives. Colonel Kothiyal and his team were among the first to reach the affected area. He was given the responsibility of search and rescue operations. Under his supervision, Kedarnath was rebuilt and restored to its pristine form. He is credited with taking charge of the restoration process of Kedarpuri the shrine area at Kedarnath, at an elevation of more than 11,000 feet supervising more than 1000 workers who worked hard in harsh sub zero climate. In the same year, he also started a nonprofit trust called ''Youth Foundation'' to help the rural youth in

Garhwal Garhwal may refer to the following topics associated with Uttarakhand, India: Places *Garhwal Himalaya, a sub-range of the Himalayas *Garhwal Kingdom, a former kingdom *Garhwal District (British Garhwal), a former district of British India *Garh ...

region to join the Indian Military and Para Military Services. The Foundation also helps in providing medical facilities to the poor people in Garhwal region.

Social work

While working in Kedarnath, Colonel Kothiyal had recruited a few young men from nearby villages to assist him. He observed that the youth of Garhwal wanted to join the Indian Army but lacked proper training to do so. To bridge the gap, Colonel Kothiyal started a training program for such people. He self-funded the cause. The first batch had only 11 trainees, and the Army recruited all of them. In 2013, 28 out of the 30 youths he had trained were recruited in the

. This success drew huge number of youth to seek his guidance and training. As a result, in 2015 he registered "Youth Foundation" as a charitable not-for-profit trust. In 2018, Colonel Kothiyal took voluntary retirement from army to focus on social work through Youth Foundation.

Political career

He joined the

on 19 April 2021. He was the Chief Ministerial candidate from Aam Aadmi Party in

2022 Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly election Legislative Assembly elections were held in Uttarakhand on 14 February 2022 to elect 70 members of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly. The votes were counted and the results were declared on 10 March 2022. Background The tenure of Uttarakha ...

. He contested from Gangotri Assembly constituency of Uttarakhand and came third with the BJP candidate winning the seat. He left the Aam Aadmi Party on 18 May 2022. Six days later on 24 May, 2022 he joined the

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the List of ruling p ...

while describing it as a "course correction".

Military decorations

Awards

* Salaam India Awards - Special Award

References

Day-long 'Raibaar' discusses ways to solve U'khand's pressing issues

"30% jump in applicants after Army eases height rule"

* [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/preparations-in-full-swing-for-pms-state-visit-day-after-diwali/articleshow/61134979.cms "Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, director Col Ajay Kothiyal are invitees for the PM’s function."]
"Youth Foundation to organise selection camps from June 12"

External links

* ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__f1ZkwqRl8 Salaam India Awards winner Col Ajay Kothiyal
Colonel Ajay Kothiyal (Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra, Vishisht Sewa Medal)

Kudos to women Army officials

Cross Fire Col.Ajay Kothiyal Sadhna Prime 6.30 PM 8 August

Mission Kedarnath Documentary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kothiyal, Ajay Indian Army officers Living people Garhwali people Indian summiters of Mount Everest Recipients of the Shaurya Chakra Recipients of the Kirti Chakra Recipients of the Vishisht Seva Medal People from Tehri Garhwal district Military personnel from Uttarakhand People from Uttarakhand 1969 births Kirti Chakra