Captain Chander Narain was a himachali born in Dharamshala, a very well-known hill station, in a family of Honorary Captain Balwan Singh. The dream of getting into the armed forces was inculcated in him from the childhood days, while he saw his father’s uniform and their workings and all. And after completing his schooling, he achieved his dream by joining the armed forces. And after successful training he got into 2 Garhwal Rifles on 11 June 1961, one of the oldest regiments of the country .
| Service No | IC-12701H | ||||
| DOB | July 2, 1939 | ||||
| Last Rank | Captain | ||||
| Unit | 2 Garh Rif | ||||
| Arm/Regt | Garhwal Rifles | ||||
| Operation | Op Riddle (J&K) | ||||
| Award | Maha Vir Chakra | ||||
| Date Of Martyrdom | August 5, 1965 |
OPERATION RIDDLE
During 1965, when war broke out between India and Pakistan, 2 Garh Rif was engaged in a fierce battle with the enemy in Poonch sector, then they got some inputs of some enemy soldiers are trying to infiltrate in the Poonch area and their last seen location was known to them which was nearby Indian Army Brigade headquarters. Then Captain Chander led a patrol search and went to push back the enemy, after reaching the spot, they were challenged very badly with heavy firing by the enemy soldiers. Seeing the heavy firing and thinking about the safety of his troops, he ordered them to take good covers, and then fire only to pin down the enemies, but he himself went on a flank to give the enemy surprise attack and after reaching an advantageous position, he shot a machine gun handler which was creating problems on his troops. But seeing heavy enemy fire, he ordered his men to stay safe and said we will continue our fight in the night. As soon as day fell, he led a daring attack on his own and charged upon the enemies with heavy firing. After reaching half the peak, he holds out on the spot so that his other comrades can climb. Then he ordered half of his patrol to give cover fires and then he led with half his patrol to a successful flank. And in the operation they killed 6 enemies and more were wounded but he was also hit by a burst of Light Machine Gun (LMG) and laid down his life. The operation was remembered as a very successful attack of 1965 war. His flanking skills were appreciated a lot. His great leadership skills, creating a fierce danger in the face of enemy, and unparalleled bravery got him Maha Vir Chakra, second highest war time gallantry award.
“We fight to win and win with a knockout, because there are no runners up in war.” – General JJ Singh
