Major Puran Chander belonged to Poonch in J&K and was born in the year 1936 to Lt Col Dina Nath. He was commissioned into the 5 JAK Rif battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles Regiment. During the 1965 war, Major Puran Chander’s unit’s unit 5 JAK Rif was deployed in the Sialkot sector along with other infantry battalions under the 35 Infantry Brigade. During a regular patrolling by security forces, they found that the enemy had occupied a hut located in the no man’s land and was using it as an observation post. And it was decided to capture that post. Major Puran Chander who was commanding the Alpha Company, volunteered to undertake the task of eliminating the hut.
| Service Number | IC-11702 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 5 JAK Rif |
| Regiment | JAK Rifles |
| Date of Martyrdom | 23rd November 1965 |
On the night 23th November 1965, Major Puran Chander and his gallant men managed to reach reached within a few meters of the hut. The enemy soldiers got suspicious and swung into action to retaliate. Major Puran Chander quickly assessed the situation and leaped forward to attack with a grenade. While doing so he received a machine gun burst injuring him severely. He later succumbed to his injuries and was martyred.
Major Puran Chander is survived by his wife Smt Mona Thakur and son Shri Keshav Chander Thakur.
