Chuni Lal
Encyclopedia
Naib Subedar Chuni Lal, Ashok Chakra, Vir Chakra
, Sena Medal
(Gallantry) was a soldier of 8th Battalion of Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry
(8 JAK LI) of Indian Army
. He was born in Bhaderwah
, and lived in Bhaar village in Doda district
of Jammu
.
Decorated with Vir Chakra
and Sena Medal
(Gallantry), JC-593527, Lal was killed on the 24 June 2007 in a militant flush-out operation in Kashmir’s Kupwara
sector. These militants, all of whom were also shot dead, were trying to cross the Line of Control
(LoC) and enter Indian territory. The success of this militant flush-out operation, which claimed his life, earned him Ashok Chakra.
Regiment. In 1987, he volunteered and participated in an operation to capture the Bana Post, located at 21,153 feet in the Siachen Glacier
, for which he was awarded the Sena Medal
(Gallantry). During June 1987, the 8th JAK LI, was deployed in the Siachen area. It was then found that a large number of Pakistani infiltrators had intruded over the Siachen Glacier. The ejection of these infiltrators was difficult but necessary and a special task force was constituted for this purpose. Chuni Lal and other soldiers of the unit such as Naib Subedar (later Sub Maj and Hony Capt) Bana Singh
volunteered to join this force. The Pakistani intrusion had taken place at a height of 6500 metres at the highest peak in the Siachen Glacier area. From this feature the Pakistanis could snipe at Indian army positions since the height gave them a clear view of the entire Saltoro range and Siachen glacier. The Pakistanis called this post 'Quaid post' after their founder Quaid-e-azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. The enemy post was a glacier fortress with ice walls, 457 metres high, on either side. On 26 June 1987, Naib Subedar Bana Singh
led Chuni Lal and other men through an extremely difficult and hazardous route. These men crawled and closed in on the adversary and cleared the post of all intruders. This operation was named as Operation Rajiv and Nb Sub Bana Singh
was awarded Param Vir Chakra
for courage and bravery.
In 1999, in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir during Operation Rakshak, he fought an attempted intrusion by the Pakistan Army
and was instrumental in killing 12 intruders and saved the post from enemy capture. He was awarded the Vir Chakra
, for gallantry.
He also did two tenures with the United Nations Peace Keeping Force in Somalia and Sudan. Display of exemplary courage by his team in Sudan won his unit a UN citation for valour.
On June 24, 2007, Lal was in charge of a post in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir. The post was at height of 14,000 feet where visibility on that cloudy night was just 5 metres and temperature was minus 5 degrees. Around 3:30am, he detected some movement across the fence on the Line of Control and decided to check it. He deployed his soldiers at the LoC. An exchange of fire followed, which continued for almost an hour. Nb Sub Chuni Lal and his soldiers surrounded the whole area and searched for their assailants till dawn. Finally as Nb Sub Chunni Lal and his team were approaching to search a sketchy bushy patch, they were suddenly fired upon. The men continued to close on to the area where their attackers were hiding and killed two of them on the spot. In the gunfire, two army soldiers were seriously wounded and lay close to where their attackers hid. With disregard to his personal safety, Chuni Lal crawled towards the wounded men and pulled them to safety thus saving their lives. Anticipating more hidden attackers, he continued to search the area. His anticipation proved right and he saw a third attacker trying to escape. Nb Sub Chuni Lal charged at him with his weapon and killed him. Unfortunately, an exchange fire from the attacker split opened Nb Sub Chunni Lal’s abdomen and he began to lose lot of blood. He took cover behind a rock, continued to fire and did not allow the other attackers to break the cordon. Under his leadership the two remaining attackers were also killed.
Chuni Lal had lost a large volume of blood and died by the time a helicopter could airlift him to nearest Army Hospital. For his actions in battle, Nb Sub Chuni Lal was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra on 15 August 2007 for saving the lives of his fellow men, displaying most conspicuous bravery, demonstrating battle field leadership and laying down his life to protect the country.
Nb Sub Chuni Lal is survived by his wife, Mrs Chinta Devi, and three children - son and two daughters. His wife, Mrs Chinta Devi received his Ashok Chakra medal from the President of India at the Republic Day Parade of 26 January 2008. Other three Ashoka Chakra medal awardees (all were awarded posthumously) on this Republic Day parade were IC-48714 Col Vasanth Venugopal
, 9 Maratha Light Infantry
, IC-59263, Major Dinesh Raghu Raman, Jat Regiment
, 34 Rashtriya Rifles
(34 RR) and IC-62541 Capt Harshan R, 2nd Battalion of Parachute Regiment
(SF).
Vir Chakra
Vir Chakra is an Indian gallantry award presented for acts of bravery in the battlefield. Award of the decoration carried with it the right to use Vr.C. as a postnominal abbreviation Vir Chakra is an Indian gallantry award presented for acts of bravery in the battlefield. Award of the decoration...
, Sena Medal
Sena Medal
This article is about the Sena Medal, an Indian Military decoration. 'SM' redirects here The Sena Medal is awarded to members of the Indian army, of all ranks, "for such individual acts of exceptional devotion to duty or courage as have special significance for the Army." Awards may be made...
(Gallantry) was a soldier of 8th Battalion of Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry
Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry
The Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army.The regimental center is in Srinagar's Airport Complex at Avantipur with a small winter setup near Jammu. It's regimental insignia consists of a pair of crossed rifles...
(8 JAK LI) of Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
. He was born in Bhaderwah
Bhaderwah
Bhaderwah or Bhadarwah is a town and a notified area committee in Doda district in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, India. Bhaderwah valley is predominantly a mountainous town situated 80 km from Batote. Kailash Yatra is a pilgrimage of the area which is considered an important Hindu...
, and lived in Bhaar village in Doda district
Doda District
Area11,691 km²Population525,000 Population density36/km2 Literacy18.5% Doda is a district of Jammu region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India...
of Jammu
Jammu
Jammu , also known as Duggar, is one of the three administrative divisions within Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state in India.Jammu city is the largest city in Jammu and the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir...
.
Decorated with Vir Chakra
Vir Chakra
Vir Chakra is an Indian gallantry award presented for acts of bravery in the battlefield. Award of the decoration carried with it the right to use Vr.C. as a postnominal abbreviation Vir Chakra is an Indian gallantry award presented for acts of bravery in the battlefield. Award of the decoration...
and Sena Medal
Sena Medal
This article is about the Sena Medal, an Indian Military decoration. 'SM' redirects here The Sena Medal is awarded to members of the Indian army, of all ranks, "for such individual acts of exceptional devotion to duty or courage as have special significance for the Army." Awards may be made...
(Gallantry), JC-593527, Lal was killed on the 24 June 2007 in a militant flush-out operation in Kashmir’s Kupwara
Kupwara
Kupwara is a town and a notified area committee in Kupwara District in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.Among the many tourist places in Kupwara, Lolab Valley has special significance. Sogam is a Tehsil and a really beautiful place to visit for its meadows, mountains, gushing waters, and...
sector. These militants, all of whom were also shot dead, were trying to cross the Line of Control
Line of Control
The term Line of Control refers to the military control line between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which, to this day, does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary but is the de facto border...
(LoC) and enter Indian territory. The success of this militant flush-out operation, which claimed his life, earned him Ashok Chakra.
Career
In 1984, Lal joined the 8th Battalion, Jammu and Kashmir Light InfantryJammu and Kashmir Light Infantry
The Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army.The regimental center is in Srinagar's Airport Complex at Avantipur with a small winter setup near Jammu. It's regimental insignia consists of a pair of crossed rifles...
Regiment. In 1987, he volunteered and participated in an operation to capture the Bana Post, located at 21,153 feet in the Siachen Glacier
Siachen Glacier
The Siachen Glacier is located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalaya Mountains at about , just east of the Line of Control between India-Pakistan. India controls all of the Siachen Glacier itself, including all tributary glaciers. At long, it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and...
, for which he was awarded the Sena Medal
Sena Medal
This article is about the Sena Medal, an Indian Military decoration. 'SM' redirects here The Sena Medal is awarded to members of the Indian army, of all ranks, "for such individual acts of exceptional devotion to duty or courage as have special significance for the Army." Awards may be made...
(Gallantry). During June 1987, the 8th JAK LI, was deployed in the Siachen area. It was then found that a large number of Pakistani infiltrators had intruded over the Siachen Glacier. The ejection of these infiltrators was difficult but necessary and a special task force was constituted for this purpose. Chuni Lal and other soldiers of the unit such as Naib Subedar (later Sub Maj and Hony Capt) Bana Singh
Bana Singh
Naib Subedar Bana Singh, PVC was born on 3 January 1949 into a Sikh family, at Kadyal in Jammu and Kashmir. He enrolled in the Indian Army on 6 January 1969 into the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry . He was trained at the High Altitude Warfare School in Gulmarg and also at another school at...
volunteered to join this force. The Pakistani intrusion had taken place at a height of 6500 metres at the highest peak in the Siachen Glacier area. From this feature the Pakistanis could snipe at Indian army positions since the height gave them a clear view of the entire Saltoro range and Siachen glacier. The Pakistanis called this post 'Quaid post' after their founder Quaid-e-azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. The enemy post was a glacier fortress with ice walls, 457 metres high, on either side. On 26 June 1987, Naib Subedar Bana Singh
Bana Singh
Naib Subedar Bana Singh, PVC was born on 3 January 1949 into a Sikh family, at Kadyal in Jammu and Kashmir. He enrolled in the Indian Army on 6 January 1969 into the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry . He was trained at the High Altitude Warfare School in Gulmarg and also at another school at...
led Chuni Lal and other men through an extremely difficult and hazardous route. These men crawled and closed in on the adversary and cleared the post of all intruders. This operation was named as Operation Rajiv and Nb Sub Bana Singh
Bana Singh
Naib Subedar Bana Singh, PVC was born on 3 January 1949 into a Sikh family, at Kadyal in Jammu and Kashmir. He enrolled in the Indian Army on 6 January 1969 into the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry . He was trained at the High Altitude Warfare School in Gulmarg and also at another school at...
was awarded Param Vir Chakra
Param Vir Chakra
The Param Vir Chakra is India's highest military decoration awarded for the highest degree of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy. It can be, and often has been, awarded posthumously....
for courage and bravery.
In 1999, in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir during Operation Rakshak, he fought an attempted intrusion by the Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
and was instrumental in killing 12 intruders and saved the post from enemy capture. He was awarded the Vir Chakra
Vir Chakra
Vir Chakra is an Indian gallantry award presented for acts of bravery in the battlefield. Award of the decoration carried with it the right to use Vr.C. as a postnominal abbreviation Vir Chakra is an Indian gallantry award presented for acts of bravery in the battlefield. Award of the decoration...
, for gallantry.
He also did two tenures with the United Nations Peace Keeping Force in Somalia and Sudan. Display of exemplary courage by his team in Sudan won his unit a UN citation for valour.
On June 24, 2007, Lal was in charge of a post in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir. The post was at height of 14,000 feet where visibility on that cloudy night was just 5 metres and temperature was minus 5 degrees. Around 3:30am, he detected some movement across the fence on the Line of Control and decided to check it. He deployed his soldiers at the LoC. An exchange of fire followed, which continued for almost an hour. Nb Sub Chuni Lal and his soldiers surrounded the whole area and searched for their assailants till dawn. Finally as Nb Sub Chunni Lal and his team were approaching to search a sketchy bushy patch, they were suddenly fired upon. The men continued to close on to the area where their attackers were hiding and killed two of them on the spot. In the gunfire, two army soldiers were seriously wounded and lay close to where their attackers hid. With disregard to his personal safety, Chuni Lal crawled towards the wounded men and pulled them to safety thus saving their lives. Anticipating more hidden attackers, he continued to search the area. His anticipation proved right and he saw a third attacker trying to escape. Nb Sub Chuni Lal charged at him with his weapon and killed him. Unfortunately, an exchange fire from the attacker split opened Nb Sub Chunni Lal’s abdomen and he began to lose lot of blood. He took cover behind a rock, continued to fire and did not allow the other attackers to break the cordon. Under his leadership the two remaining attackers were also killed.
Chuni Lal had lost a large volume of blood and died by the time a helicopter could airlift him to nearest Army Hospital. For his actions in battle, Nb Sub Chuni Lal was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra on 15 August 2007 for saving the lives of his fellow men, displaying most conspicuous bravery, demonstrating battle field leadership and laying down his life to protect the country.
Nb Sub Chuni Lal is survived by his wife, Mrs Chinta Devi, and three children - son and two daughters. His wife, Mrs Chinta Devi received his Ashok Chakra medal from the President of India at the Republic Day Parade of 26 January 2008. Other three Ashoka Chakra medal awardees (all were awarded posthumously) on this Republic Day parade were IC-48714 Col Vasanth Venugopal
Vasanth Venugopal
Col Vasanth V, AC was the Commanding Officer of 9 Maratha Light Infantry, a unit of the Indian Army. On 31 July 2007, he was killed in action while preventing heavily armed infiltrators from crossing the Indian border at Uri, Jammu and Kashmir.Col Vasanth was awarded the Ashoka Chakra , the...
, 9 Maratha Light Infantry
Maratha Light Infantry
The Maratha Light Infantry is a light infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was formed as the 103rd Maharattas in 1768, making it the most senior light infantry regiment of the Army....
, IC-59263, Major Dinesh Raghu Raman, Jat Regiment
Jat Regiment
The Jat Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army and is one of the longest serving and most decorated regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment has won 19 battle honours between 1839 to 1947 and post independence 5 battle honours, Two Ashok Chakras, eight Mahavir Chakras, eight Kirti...
, 34 Rashtriya Rifles
Rashtriya Rifles
The Rashtriya Rifles or RR are a branch of the Indian Army placed under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs....
(34 RR) and IC-62541 Capt Harshan R, 2nd Battalion of Parachute Regiment
Parachute Regiment (India)
-History:The first Indian airborne formation was the 50 Independent Parachute Brigade raised on 29 October 1941 with 151 British, 152 Indian, and 153 Gurkha Parachute Battalions and other support units....
(SF).
Gallantry Awards
| Award Date | Award | Rank Army ranks and insignia of India The following tables present the ranks of the Indian army. These ranks generally correspond with those of Western militaries, and in particular reflect those of the British and Commonwealth Armies. Traditional names for ranks are still used, as well as western names.... |
|---|---|---|
| 15 August 2007 | Naib Subedar | |
| 15 August 2002 | Havildar Havildar Havildar ) was the Military 'In Charge' of a Fort during the times of Maratha Empire. In the British Indian Army it was equivalent rank to Sergeant, next above Naik, and is still used in the modern Indian Army and Pakistan Army. The cavalry equivalent is Daffadar... |
|
| Not known | Not known | |