Param Vir Chakra 2nd Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal

 2nd Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal

IC-25067 Second Lieutenant
Khetarpal , Arun, PVC (Posthumous)
17 Horse (Poona Horse)

Born : 14 Oct 1950, Pune, Maharashtra
Family settled  : New Delhi
Father : Brig ML Khetarpal (Retd)
Commission : 13 June 1971
Award date : 16 Dec1971
Religion: Hindu
Studied : Lawrence School, Sanawar; NDA, Khadakvasla

PARAM VIR CHAKRA

He was born in Pune,Maharashtra, was an officer of the Indian Army and a posthumous recipient of the Param Vir Chakra from Delhi. India's highest military decoration for valour in face of the enemy.

On 16 December 1971 when our position at Jarpal in the Shakargarh Sector was subjected to an attack by a Pakistani armoured regiment and our troops were heavily outnumbered by enemy forces, the squadron commander asked for reinforcements.

2nd Lt Arun Khetarpal, on hearing this transmission over the radio, answered the call and moved with his troop to meet the enemy attack. On the way, his troop came under fire from enemy strong points and recoillless gun nests that were still holding out in the bridgehead established across the Basantar river by our troops. Realising that a critical situation was developing and prompt action was to be taken, 2nd Lt Khetarpal assaulted the enemy strong points, physically overrunning them and capturing the enemy's infantry and weapon crews at pistol point.

In the course of this action, the commander of one of the tanks in his troops was killed but, 2nd Lt Khetarpal continued to attack relentlessly till all opposition was overcome and he broke through towards the location of our squadron. When enemy tanks started pulling back after their initial probing attacks, he chased them and destroyed one of them. When the enemy launched another attack with an armoured squadron, against the sector held by three of our tanks, one of which was manned by 2nd Lt Khetarpal, a fierce battle ensued and 10 enemy tanks were hit and destroyed of which 2nd Lt Khetarpal personally destroyed four.

In the fight 2nd Lt Khetarpal's tank was hit and it burst into flames and he was severely wounded. 2nd Lt Khetarpal was ordered to abandon his tank but realising that the enemy was still pressing the attack in this sector and that if he abandoned his tank, the enemy would break through, he continued engaging the enemy despite the grievous wounds and his own tank burning. He destroyed one more enemy tank before his tank was hit a second time, killing him. But the enemy had been denied the breakthrough he was seeking so desperately.

In this action 2nd Lt Arun Khetarpal displayed the most conspicuous gallantry in the face of the enemy, indomitable fighting spirit and tenacity of purpose.

PARAM VIR CHAKRA TV SERIAL 

2nd Lt. Arun Khetarpal Episode

Param Vir Chakra TV Serial Episodes Stories

Param Vir Chakra is an Indian serial portraying the real life of Param Vir Chakra gallantry award winners, India's highest military honour. The serial was directed by Chetan Anand and aired on Doordarshan channel in 1980's.

Param Vir Chakra TV serial Episode 

Major Somnath Sharma

Major Somnath Sharma of the 4th Battalion, the Kumaon regiment, was the first soldier of Indian armed forces to be awarded the Param Vir Chakra. Though his left arm was in plaster he led his men to battle against Pakistani raiders to secure Srinagar airfield on 3rd November1947.His last message was:"The enemy is only 50 yards away from us. We are heavily outnumbered. We are under devastating fire. I will fight to the last man and the last round." He was killed in an explosion shortly after sending the message, but his soldiers fought like men possessed and held on till reinforcements arrived, after which the enemy was beaten back. Major Sharma was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthomously in 1950, the year the award was instituted.

 

Param Vir Chakra TV serial Episode

Naik Jadunath Singh

Naik Jadunath Singh was in command of a forward post in Kashmir during the 1947-48 operation there. The enemy attacked early one Feb morning. Jadunath and his men beat back the attack but four of them were wounded. The second attack came shortly afterwards. The nine men in the picket were heavily outnumbered and soon all of them were bleeding from variuos wounds but Jadunath spurred them on with words of encouragement. When his gunner was hit he took over the gun himself and the accuracy of his fire power and his daring forced the enemy to withdraw. Jadunath Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously. When the third attack came, Jadunath rushed out firing from his sten gun. The enemy was taken back in surprise and fled in disorder. However two bullets hit Jadunath, one in the head and other in the chest. He died of his wounds but he had saved his picket from being overrun by the enemy.

Param Vir Chakra TV serial Episode 

 Lt RAMA RAGHOBA RANE

In April 1948 at the height of the Jammu and Kashmir Operations, the Indian advance towards Rajauri was held up by several enemy road blocks and mine fields. But over a period of two days, by the 10th of April, 2nd Lt. Ramaa Raghoba Rane and his men of the corps of Engineers had cleared the area of mine fields despite losing two sappers in the operation. Despite the injuries sustained by Rane and five others, they worked through all the night of 8-9th April preparing a safe lane for the armour advance. Next morning braving incessant enemy machine gun fire they cleared a huge road block surrounded by mines within two hours.When the Indian progress was held up by another roadblock 13 kms ahead, an unfazed Rane drove up to it in a tank and blasted the obstructions away. A day later he again worked for seventeen hours to open up the road to Chingas and beyond. Without the Herculean efforts, the Indian advances to Rajuari might never have happened. He was awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his ' grim determination and tireless diligence.

 

Param Vir Chakra TV serial Episode 

Lance Naik Karam Singh

Lance Naik Karam Singh was in command of a forward post in the Tithwal sector during the Jammu & Kashmir operations in 1948. The enemy attacked the outpost again and again, eight times in all but despite being heavily outnumbered Karam Singh and his men beat back every attack. Though wounded Karam Singh crawled from place to place encouraging his men to fight on. He refused to be evacuated even when wounded a second time. At one stage whe it looked as if the enemy would break through, he drove him back with hand grenades. During one attack two enemy soldiers almost reached the trenches. If Karam Singh had fired he might have hit his own men so he leaped out of the trench and bayoneted the two men. Awed by his fury the other enemy soldiers turned and fled abandoning all the ideas of capturing the post. Lance Naik Karam Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his heroic defence of his post.

Param Vir Chakra TV serial Episode 

Company Havildar Major Piru Singh

During an Indian offensive in the Tithwal sector in July 1948, a Company of 6 Rajputana Rifles came under heavy fire while traversing a mountainous path. Seeing his comrades mowed down by machine guns, Company Havildar Major Piru Singh was filled with rage. Shouting his battle cry"Raja Ramchandra ki Jai" he charged the enemy by post. Grenade splinters pierced several parts of his body but that could not stop him. He bayoneted the crew of the machine gun and occupied the post. Bleeding profusely he crawled to the next enemy gun post and on reaching it, leaped into the enemy trench and then fell down dead. On the night of 14/15 April ,1948, he marched his men 13 kms to launch a drawn attack on the enemy at Kopra which was defended by two companies with more in reserve. The surprise attack however evened the odds in favour of the outnumbered Indians. The enemy was routed. Company Havildar Major Piru Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra for the extraordinary courage he had shown while confronting the enemy.

Param Vir Chakra TV serial Episode 

CAPTAIN GURBACHAN SINGH SALARIA

Captain Salaria was posthumously honoured with the Param Vir Chakra for his inspiring leadership and courage. In 1961,Captain Gurubachan Singh Salaria was part of a 3000-strong Indian Contingent, Deployed by the UN in Congo to end the Civil war. On 5 th December, a company of the Gorkha Rifles established a road block at a strategic roundabout. Captain Salaria leading a platoon that sought to establish a link up with the company, encountered heavy firing from well-entrenched rebel forces. The Captain and his men charged at the enemy with bayonets, Khukris and hand grenades. In the sharp and swift operation, 40 enemy soldiers were killed and two of their armored cars destroyed. The demoralized enemy fled from the scene of the battle. Captain Salaria, who was wounded in the neck a burst of enemy automatic fire, continued to fight till the very end. He succumbed to his injuries soon after but his gallant action had prevented the enemy from encircling the UN positions.

Param Vir Chakra TV serial Episode 

Major Shaitan Singh

Icy wings chilled the soldiers to their bone but they could not relax their guard. The enemy was coming. Then just before the dawn the Chinese attacked. Platoons 7 and 8 of C company of a battalion of the Kumaon Regiment, led by Major Shaitan Singh took the brunt of the attack.7 Platoon was encircled and wiped out. 8 Platoon too fought to the last man. The company Commander, Major Singh, unmindful of his personal safety moved from platoon to platoon to encourage his men even after he was hit by bullets.Two soldiers tried to move him to a safer place but when he sensed danger to them to leave him. They kept him behind a boulder on the slope of a hill. His body was found there after the war. Major Shaitan Singh was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his courage and leadership.

Param Vir Chakra TV serial Episode

Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid

During the 1965 Indo -Pak conflict the 4 Grenadiers occupied the vital position near China on the Khem Karan Bhikhiwind road. Its two-fold plan was to capture Pak, territory east of Icchogil Canal and repulse a possible enemy attack on Kasur-Khem Karan area. On the night of September 8 Pakistan repeatedly attacked the grenadiers position but was repelled. On September 10 an enemy regiment of Patton tanks attacked preceded by intense artillery shelling. Soon the Indian forward company positions had been penetrated. Seeing the precarious condition they were in Havildar Abdul Hamid moved out to a flank with his gun mounted on a jeep. Braving intense shelling he knocked out the leading enemy tank. Changing his position he knocked out another. Though spotted by the enemy who trained their guns on him, he kept up relentless firing. As he hit yet another enemy tank, he was mortally wounded by an exploding shell. His action inspired his comrades who fought hard and repelled the attack. He was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his defiant valour.

Param Vir Chakra TV serial Episode 

Major Hoshiar Singh

Deployed on India's western front in December 1965, the 3 Grenadiers led the advance into Shakargarh. Their task was to establish a bridgehead on the Basantar river. Commandeered by Major Hoshiar Singh, the Grenadiers attacked Jarpal, an enemy stronghold across the river. The Grenadiers came under intense artillery fire but the enemy was finally dislodged from jarpal after a fierce hand to hand struggle. The Pakistani retaliated with a strong armored attack. As the battle raged , Major Singh moved among his men , within the trenches, putting his life into risk.In second enemy Attack that followed the next day, Major singh was wounded as he moved in the trenches. When his crew manning the machine-gun fire, Major Singh took over the gun and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. Though In deep pain, Major Singh refused to be evacuated and held on till the cease-fire was declared. He was awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his gallantry

2nd Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal

Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, son of Brigadier M L Khetarpal, was born on October 14, 1950, in Pune, Maharashtra. He was commissioned in the 17 Poona Horse on June 13, 1971. During the 1971 Indo-Pak War, the 47 Infantry Brigade, with the 17 Poona Horse under command, was ordered to establish a bridge-head across the Basantar River in Shakargarh sector. Khetarpal fiercely attacked the enemy strong points and captured many enemy soldiers and recoilless guns at gunpoint. He destroyed several enemy tanks. In the thick of the battle, Khetarpal's tank also received a shot and burst into flames. But realising the useful role of his tank in preventing a breakthrough, he set about destroying the remaining enemy tanks. At this stage his tank received a second hit. The brave Officer met his death denying the enemy the intended breakthrough. For his conspicuous gallantry, Khetarpal was honoured with the highest wartime gallantry medal, the Param Vir Chakra, posthumously. 

Major Dhan Singh Thapa , 1/8 Gorkha Rifles 

Major Dhan Singh Thapa Major Dhan Singh Thapa, born on April 10, 1928 in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, was commissioned in the 8 Gorkha Rifles on August 28, 1949. The Sirijap valley, north of the Pangong Lake in Ladakh, was considered vital for the defence of Chushul airfield. The 1/8 Gorkha Rifles had outposts there to thwart any enemy encroachment in the area. One of these outposts named Sirijap-1 was held by a platoon of 'D' Company under the command of Major Dhan Singh Thapa when the Chinese attack came on October 21, 1962. Major Thapa repulsed the attack, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. For his gallant act, Major Dhan Singh Thapa was honoured with the highest wartime gallantry medal, Param Vir Chakra.

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