An alumnus of the 129th course of the NDA, Lt Ummer Fayaz was on leave when he was kidnapped by militants and later brutally killed.The National Defence Academy (NDA) has instituted a trophy in the memory of Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz, an Army officer alumnus of the tri-services academy, who was kidnapped and killed by militants in May 2017 in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir.
An alumnus of the 129th course of the NDA, Lt Ummer Fayaz was on leave when he was kidnapped by militants and later brutally killed. The trophy in his memory, which has been instituted from the current term, is for displaying overall improvement in performance by a cadet.
A press statement from the NDA, sent through the PRO, Defence, read, “Lt Ummer was commissioned on December 10, 2016 into 2 Rajputana Rifles of the famed Rajputana Rifles Regiment, and was deployed in Akhnoor sector of Jammu and Kashmir. In early May 2017, while on leave at his native place, in an unfortunate and dastardly act, the militants kidnapped and later brutally killed him. The life and martyrdom of Lt Ummer Fayaz is indeed an inspiration for today’s youth, especially from the Valley, for joining Indian Armed Forces. In memory of Late Lt Ummer Fayaz, Commandants’s Motivation Award for displaying Overall Improvement in Performance has been instituted from this term onwards.”
The winner of Commandant’s Motivation Award – Lt Ummer Fayaz Trophy and Silver medal for displaying Overall Improvement in Performance during Autumn Term is Cadet Vijay Bahadur.
“Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz was born at Sursunu village in Kulgam district of Jammu & Kashmir. He had studied from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Anantnag, and joined the 129th course of the National Defence Academy to pursue his dream of becoming an Army Officer. During his training at NDA, he demonstrated outstanding improvement in his performance in all disciplines,” added the statement.