1. Anuj Nayyar
Even After hit by an explosive he carried on to secure mountain peak till his last breath
Chief Anuj Nayyar of 17 Jat Regiment of the Indian Army valiantly headed his group to capture a key mountain top likewise called Pimple II that was possessed by Pakistani infiltrators amid the Kargil War in 1999. Nayyar and his group confronted soak slants and obliterated numerous foe fortifications without any aeronautical backing. He was harmed after a rocket explosive specifically hit him yet carried on till last breath to secure the strategic mountain peak. Saif Ali Khan played Nayyar’s role in J. P. Dutta’s movie LOC Kargil.
2. Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair
Only Indian to have won both Ashoka Chakra and Kirti Chakra
Colonel Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair of 16 Maratha Light Infantry was deployed in Nagaland in 1993. On December 20 of that year, his convoy was trapped by Naga rebels. Col N. J. Nair showed praiseworthy boldness and courage and undertook the revolutionaries generally so as to break the pitfall and spare his men and set out his life. For his extraordinary valour, the Colonel has been granted the Ashoka Chakra and Kirti Chakra, the only Indian to have won both the prestigious awards.
3. Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri
Sunny Deol’s play In Border Movie was based on this real hero
J P Dutta’s war film Border was focused around the Battle of Laungewala on the night of December 4-5, 1971. On that eventful night, Chandpuri held 124 soldiers of Indian Army’s and in addition 23 officers of the Punjab regiment against a Pakistani ambush structuring and held them off. Chandpuri was later honored the Maha Vir Chakra by the Indian government for his administration and valor. Chandpuri’s character was played by Sunny Deol in Border.
4. Gurbachan Singh Salaria
He died at the age of 26 in an unknown land.
Chief Gurbachan Singh Salaria has been honored the Param Vir Chakra, India’s most astounding wartime military honor for his grit in the Congo common war in 1961. After Belgium left Congo, the UN interceded to stop a bloody civil raging over through the African nation. Salaria was a part of UN’s group to spare the nation from Katangese rebels who were wrecking destruction and participated in an operation that left the foe totally dampened. Salaria died at the age of 26 in an obscure land however his actions were feted by the Indian government.
5. Jaswant Singh Rawat
A warrior who single-handedly fought 300 Chinese soldiers
Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat was a part of the fourth Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles that was liable to rehashed strikes by the Chinese amid the Sino-Indian war. The Story of Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat is folklore and the man himself is a huge legend in the Indian Army. Read on for his incredible story and how he died fighting for our Nation. He died fighting for his country in the Indo-Chinese war in 1962.
Due to heavy casualty and circumstances the company was asked to retreat from their position. Jaswant insisted on staying back and fighting off the Chinese. All the other soldiers retreated and Jaswant was left alone to deal with enemy. What he did then is truly inspirational and brave. He got some help from two Monpa tribal girls named Sela and Nura. Together they set up weapons at separate points and maintained a volume of fire that fooled the Chinese into believing that they were faced with a huge battalion.
The Chinese were left frustrated and this went on for 3 days. Finally the Chinese managed to capture the man who was supplying rations to Jaswant. On learning that he would be captured soon, he shot himself in the head. The Chinese were so incensed to find that they had been fighting a lone soldier all this while that they cut off Jaswant’s head and carried it back to China. The fate of the brave girls who helped him is unknown.
6. Vikram Batra
Abhishek Bachchan Played Batra’s role in LOC Kargil
Lieutenant Vikram Batra is an another hero of India’s 1999 Kargil War who was instrumental in recovering Peak 5140 situated at a stature of 17000 feet from the enemy. Batra knew the vital criticalness of the crest and completed a challenging mission in power to recover the pined for top. For his unmatched valiance, Batra was nicknamed Sher Singh in his regiment. A enemy counterattack cut short his life but not before he had recaptured Peak 5140 with his last words – Jai Mata Di! Abhishek Bachchan played Batra’s part in LOC Kargi
7. Arunkumar Vaidya
The Hero of 1965 war with Pakistan at the Battle of Chawinda
( Image: Arunkumar Vaidya – In the center )
This Maha Vir Chakra awardee saw close action during the 1965 war with Pakistan at the Battle of Chawinda where the first Armored Division of the enemy was destroyed. In 1971, Arunkumar Vaidya navigated dangerous landscape loaded with mines and pushed ahead to refute the Pakistani counter-assault in the the battle of Chakra and Dahira. In the same clash, in the Battle of Barapind, he appropriated tanks crosswise over minefields and got his second Maha Vir Chakra. In 1984, he planned Operation Blue Star that sought to evict Sikh militants hidden inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
8. Nand Singh
His body was paraded in Pakistan and thrown into a dump
Nand Singh has the distinction of receiving the British Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. During World War 2, Singh led his troops up a steep ridge in Burma and captured major trenches despite being wounded in multiple places. In 1947, upon Independence, he took part in India’s first war with Pakistan the same year who was mortally injured in Uri aged 33 after which his body was paraded in Pakistan and thrown into a dump. Sadly, his body was never recovered.
9. Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan
He died protecting commando Rajveer Singh in Mumbai terror attack
Sandeep Unnikrishnan was a Major in the Indian Army serving in the elite National Security Guards (NSG) who was led his life in an encounter with terrorists in November 2008 Mumbai attacks.
“Do not come up, I will handle them.” These were probably the last words which Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan told his men as he was hit by bullets while engaging terrorists inside the Taj Hotel, Mumbai during the Black Tornado operation.
During the operation, when a commando got injured Major Unnikrishnan arranged for his evacuation and started chasing the terrorists himself. The terrorists escaped to another floor of the hotel and during the chase Major Unnikrishnan was seriously injured and succumbed to his injuries.
10. Mahendra Nath Mulla
Gave away his own life-saving jacket to a sailor and tried to save as many lives as he could
Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla was the captain of the INS Khukri who died after his ship was hit by torpedoes fired from the enemy submarine during the 1971 war. Mulla gave away his own life-saving jacket to a sailor and tried to save as many lives as he could before he went down with his ship. In Diu, a memorial in Mulla’s tribute along with a full-case model of INS Khukri exists.
