From Kargil warrior to Olympic medallist – The legacy of Kaluwas village’s Beniwal family

It was around mid July of 1999; the Grenadiers’ 18th battalion was stationed at around a few hundred meters from Tiger Hill. They were preparing for their next assault, when at an early hour of dawn, artillery shelling from Pakistan infiltrators hit at their base, leaving 17 soldiers dead and over 50 wounded. But despite that there was no stopping 18 Grenadiers and in the next couple of days they captured Tiger Hill. 

“Being a part of Kargil War would always remain a pride moment for me. But at the same time we lost hundreds of our soldiers. Kargil had both happy and sad moments for me,” recalls Manoj Beniwal, who was awarded with Operation Vijay Star and a commendation certificate. 

A junior National-level boxer Manoj, who hails from Bhiwani’s Kaluwas village, joined the Indian Army in 1998 and was yet to complete his training when his battalion – 18 Grenadiers – was sent to the Kargil War.  

“During the war, in our battalion 18 Grenadiers, there were 48 casualties and over 200 soldiers were wounded. So, whenever I remember the Kargil war, every time the dead bodies of my fellow soldier brothers come across my eyes. We had to even perform their last rites on the battlefield only,” adds Manoj with a choked voice. 

In the Kargil war, Manoj had a close shave with death during the artillery shelling and his right leg was injured by a splinter.

Manoj had also served in the UN Peacekeeping Force in Africa and also at the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. He took premature retirement from the army in 2009.

In August 2008, Manoj’s younger brother Vijender Singh brought world glory to the village. He became the country's first boxer to win an Olympic medal. 

Vijender’s bronze in the Beijing Olympics has revolutionized the sport and earned a tag of ‘mini Cuba’ for Bhiwani.

“My grandfather late Darayo Singh Beniwal was a subedar in the army and the one who brought boxing to our village. My elder brother Manoj fought in the Kargil war. Our entire family is closely associated with the army and sports,” Vijender had said.