Vidarbha has produced many men who served in the armed forces and faced some of the most difficult battles in recent history. From fighter pilots flying missions in 1971 to soldiers guarding the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, the region’s presence in military service is recorded. Names from its towns and villages appear in official announcements, gallantry award lists, and funeral ceremonies with full honours. Families in Nagpur, Bhandara, Yavatmal, Amravati, and Akola have been part of this history through their sons who never returned.

Each district carries stories of loss tied directly to wars or counter-terror operations. Their service reminds us how one part of Maharashtra has repeatedly sent its men into the heart of national security duties.

1. Flight Lieutenant Vijay Vasant Tambay (Nagpur)

Flight Lieutenant Vijay Vasant Tambay was born on 11 April 1943 in Nagpur and trained at the National Defence Academy before commissioning into the Indian Air Force. He was posted to No. 32 Squadron and flew the Sukhoi Su-7 fighter during the 1971 war between India and Pakistan. On 5 December 1971, while attacking targets near Shorkot, his aircraft was hit and he failed to return. The Air Force declared him killed in action, but reports in the Pakistan Observer claimed that five pilots were captured alive that same day, and Tambay was named among them. His uncle, Jayant Jatar, stated years later that in 1989, he saw him alive in custody during a meeting facilitated by General Tikka Khan.

His wife, Damayanti, a national badminton champion, has campaigned for decades to learn the truth about him and other missing personnel. He remains listed among the “Missing 54,” and his name is one of the most widely cited in connection with Vidarbha’s contribution to the 1971 conflict.

2. Major Prafulla Ambadas Moharkar (Bhandara)

Major Prafulla Ambadas Moharkar was born on 31 July 1984 in Junona village, Paoni tehsil, in Bhandara district. He pursued engineering in Nagpur before choosing a military career through the Technical Entry Scheme in 2007. Commissioned into the Sikh Regiment, he completed demanding assignments across India and later married Aboli Moharkar in 2013 during a posting in Jammu. On 23 December 2017, while commanding a patrol in the Keri sector of Rajouri along the Line of Control, he and three of his men were killed by cross-border firing. His comrades, Lance Naik Gurmail Singh, Lance Naik Kuldeep Singh, and Sepoy Pargat Singh, were also named in the Army’s release on the incident. His funeral was held in Bhandara with full state and military honours, attended by senior officers, officials, and thousands of villagers.

Reports described how markets in Paoni and nearby areas shut down in his memory, reflecting the recognition of his service. His profile continues to appear in tributes and memorials as an officer from Vidarbha who lost his life in the line of duty.

3. Sepoy Vikas Janardhan Kulmethe (Yavatmal)

Sepoy Vikas Janardhan Kulmethe was a soldier of the 6 Bihar Regiment and came from Purad village in Wani tehsil of Yavatmal district. He joined the Indian Army in 2008 and was deployed in Jammu and Kashmir at the time of the Uri attack in September 2016. On 18 September that year, militants infiltrated the Army’s brigade administrative base and carried out one of the deadliest assaults in recent memory. Kulmethe was injured in the attack and later died in the hospital, raising the death toll from the incident. He was 27 years old, survived by his wife and a young daughter, and remembered as one of the four soldiers from Maharashtra who were killed that day.

His body was flown first to Nagpur and then carried to Purad, where large crowds gathered to pay their respects during the funeral. His story is carried in both local and national news archives, placing him among the most recognised war dead from Yavatmal and Vidarbha.

4. Sepoy Panjab Janrao Uike (Amravati)

Sepoy Panjab Janrao Uike was a member of the 6 Bihar Regiment and came from Nandgaon village in Amravati district. He was only 26 years old when he was killed in the Uri attack on 18 September 2016. His family had a defence background, with his father employed at the Ordnance Factory in Nagpur. Reports describe how his body was flown to Amravati’s Belora airport before being taken by road to his native place for the funeral. Thousands attended the procession, and wreaths were laid by senior Army officers and district officials. He had joined the Army in 2009 and was posted to the unit that bore the brunt of the Uri assault.

His name is recorded in memorial lists and contemporary coverage, which confirm his place of birth, his battalion, and the circumstances of his death. He remains one of the young soldiers from Vidarbha who fell in that high-profile attack.

5. Sepoy Pravin Prabhakar Janjal (Akola)

Sepoy Pravin Prabhakar Janjal belonged to Morgaon Bhakre village near Akola and served in the Mahar Regiment before being attached to 1 Rashtriya Rifles. In July 2024, he was part of an operation in the Chingam area of Pulwama district, Jammu and Kashmir, against militants of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group. During the engagement, four militants were neutralised, and Janjal was credited with shooting two of them before he was fatally struck. He was 25 years old at the time of his death, and his loss was widely reported across local and national media. On 14 August 2025, the Government of India announced that he would be posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra, the country’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award. His family, including his wife and brother, spoke publicly about his actions, which were also cited in the award announcement.

His funeral in Akola was marked by state honours, and his name has been added to the list of decorated soldiers from Vidarbha.

The men remembered here show the wide span of service that came out of Vidarbha, reaching from the 1971 conflict to operations in 2024. Each one had a different path, shaped by the unit they joined and the circumstances they faced, yet all were linked by the uniform they wore. Their funerals brought together entire communities, with public participation that demonstrated the scale of their sacrifice.

Gallantry awards, missing personnel lists, and memorials ensure their names remain part of military and civic records. These stories also show how their families carried the weight of their absence while keeping their memories alive in villages and towns. The accounts are firmly tied to dates, places, and events, providing a factual record of service that is inseparable from the history of Vidarbha.