Lt Dilip Gupte joined the army at the age of 22 years and was commissioned into Bengal Sappers of the corps of engineers in February 1964. Though the Indo Pak war of 1965, officially ended on 23rd September 1965, border skirmishes were continuing thereafter to occupy positions of advantage.
| Service Number | IC 15951 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | 68 FD Coy Engineers/ 56 ER |
| Regiment | Corps of Engineer |
| Date of Martyrdom | 1st October 1965 |
The Indian army decided to flatten the bridge to prevent the infiltration and the 4 Kumaon battalion was given the task to demolish the Jura Bridge. Lt Dilip Gupte with his platoon was attached to 4 Kumaon to give engineer support. The orders came after the cease-fire was declared on 23rd September 1965; hence the operation was to be carried out with great stealth and caution. The commanding officer of 4 Kumaon Lt Col Arthur Salick planned the operation by taking the battalion over Bimla Pass at the height of 12000ft in enemy territory, marching on foot over 25 Km of high-altitude terrain. The battalion with support elements marched for almost 7 days in snowbound and icy wind terrain, though it came across an enemy at 3 places that were successfully defeated and pushed back. Lt Gupte was attached to D company of 4 Kumaon commanded by Maj Y Bisht leading the march. The team reached the Jura Border on 10th October 65 and cleared the area on the side of the Bridge by pushing back the enemy. However, the bridge could not be approached immediately owing to the very steep & verticle slope. The enemy counter-attacked on 11th October 1965 and a fierce battle ensued thereafter. The 4 Kumaon troops ran out of ammunition due to skirmishes on the way but were determined to repulse the enemy attack. Lt Gupte and his soldiers used bayonets and rifle butts and gallantly fought off the enemy. Another company of 4 Kumaon led by Captain DK Dhavan joined the operation and finally forced the enemy forces to retreat. However, during this fierce battle Lt Gupte, Captain Karunakaran, Maj Bisht, and 39 other soldiers laid down their lives. Lt. Gupte was seriously injured with bullets in the neck and later succumbed to his injuries.
Lt Dilip Gupte is survived by his younger brother Dr. Rajan Gupte.
