Havildar K Palani was born 3rd June 1980 to Shri Kalimuthu and Smt Logambai. He was a native of Kadukkaloor village in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. He joined the Indian Army at the age of 18 in the year 1999.
| Service Number | 15139118Y |
| Place of Birth | Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu |
| Rank | Havildar |
| Unit | 81 Med Regt |
| Regiment | Regiment of Artillery |
| Award | Vir Chakra |
| Date of Martyrdom | 15th June 2020 |
During June 2020, Havildar Palani’s unit was deployed in eastern Ladakh close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as part of Operation Snow Leopard. Since early June the tension along the LAC was building up due to construction work in Galwan valley close to the road going from Leh to Daulat Beg Oldie. On 15th June 2020 night, restless Chinese activities were noticed in Galwan valley. Considering the seriousness of the situation, Colonel Santosh Babu the commanding officer of 16 Bihar battalion deployed in the area decided to lead the negotiations. However, the negotiation turned into altercation and altercation turned into scuffle which ultimately took the form of a violent clash with the Chinese soldiers. The clashes continued for hours and many Indian soldiers including Havildar Palani got seriously injured. Havildar Palani, Colonel Santosh Babu and 18 other soldiers later succumbed to their injuries.
Havildar Palani was awarded ‘Vir Chakra’ on 26th January 2021.
