The Assam Rifles, operating under the Indian Army's Spear Corps, has begun preparations for the 10th edition of the Late Captain Neikezhakuo Kenguruse, Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) Memorial Football Tournament, set to be held at the IG Stadium in Kohima, Nagaland, from 2 November to 9 November 2026. The tournament, co-organised with the Nagaland Football Association, carries a prize pool of ₹8.69 lakh and is widely regarded as one of the most anticipated football events in the state.

Build-Up Events in Kohima

On Wednesday, 28 October 2026, the Indian Army and Assam Rifles Jazz Band, joined by prominent singers from Nagaland, performed a street show in Kohima to build enthusiasm ahead of the tournament. The event celebrated local cultural talent while raising awareness about the tournament and the legacy of the Kargil martyr it honours. Such community outreach has become a hallmark of the tournament's growing popularity in the region.

Who Was Captain Neikezhakuo Kenguruse

Born on 15 July 1974, Captain Neikezhakuo Kenguruse hailed from Nerhema village in the Kohima district of Nagaland. He completed his schooling at St Xavier School, Jalukie, and graduated from Kohima Science College, before serving as a teacher at the Government High School in Kohima from 1994 to 1997. He was commissioned into the Army Service Corps (ASC) of the Indian Army on 12 December 1998 and was posted to a unit in Jammu and Kashmir. Fondly known as 'Neibu' to his family and 'Nimbu Sahab' to his troops, he was widely loved both within and outside the military.

The Night of Supreme Sacrifice at Black Rock

When the Kargil War broke out in 1999, Kenguruse was deputed as a junior commander in a Rajputana Rifles battalion in the Drass sector and was given command of its elite Ghatak Platoon. On the night of 28 June 1999, his platoon was tasked with neutralising a strategic enemy machine-gun post at a site known as Black Rock — a position on a steep cliff face, exposed to artillery fire, that had been impeding the battalion's advance for days.

Despite severe splinter injuries to his abdomen from a grenade as the platoon neared the first enemy bunker, Kenguruse urged his men forward and personally destroyed the bunker using a rocket launcher. At an altitude of 16,000 feet and a temperature of -10 degrees Celsius, faced with a near-vertical rock wall separating him from the enemy's final position, he removed his boots for better grip and scaled the face barefoot. He then engaged two enemy soldiers in hand-to-hand combat, killing both with his commando knife. While approaching a third bunker, he was struck by enemy fire and fell several hundred feet down the cliff.

Kenguruse was 25 years old at the time of his martyrdom. His actions single-handedly destroyed two enemy bunkers and decisively turned the course of the assault. Inspired by his sacrifice, his troops captured the position. He was posthumously awarded the nation's second-highest gallantry honour, the Maha Vir Chakra — making him the first and only recipient of the MVC from the Army Service Corps.

A Tournament That Carries His Name Forward

Recognising the deep reverence Nagaland holds for Kenguruse, the Army has organised this football tournament in his memory for nearly a decade. Now in its 10th edition, the event has evolved into one of the most sought-after football competitions in the state, attracting youth participation and serving as a platform to honour a Naga son who gave his life for the nation. The tournament runs through 9 November 2026 at the IG Stadium, Kohima.