Captain Neikezhakuo Kenguruse was an officer of 2 Rajputana Rifles, who was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, India's second highest gallantry award, for his exemplary valour in combat during operations in the Kargil War in 1999.

The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict,was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the conflict is also referred to as Operation Vijay (Hindi: विजय, lit. 'Victory'), which was the codename of the Indian military operation in the region. The Indian Air Force acted jointly with the Indian Army to flush out the Pakistan Army and paramilitary troops from vacated Indian positions along the LoC, in what was designated as Operation Safed Sagar (ऑपरेशन सफेद सागर, lit. 'White Sea').


The conflict began in early May when the Indian military learned that Pakistani fighters had infiltrated the Indian-administered territory. After detecting the infiltration, India ordered its army and air force to push back the intruders, who included regulars of the Pakistani army. The bitter fighting took place in harsh terrain 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) above sea level while intensive diplomatic activity took place elsewhere. Pakistani Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz visited New Delhi on June 12, but his talks with Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh failed to produce results. Meetings of military leaders from both countries followed, and in the weeks ahead the international community asserted the need for Pakistan to return to the line of control. Eventually, on July 11, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced that the militants would withdraw, and India gave them until July 16 to do so. Sporadic fighting continued even after the deadline, however. Several hundred combatants were killed on each side during the conflict.

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