Sepoy Prabhakar Bayaji Patre was born on 1st June 1967 to Shri Bayaji and Smt Laxmi Bai. He belonged to Wagdari village in the Solapur district of Maharashtra. After completing his school education, he joined the army at the age of 19 years on 21st July 1986. He was recruited into the 8 Mahar battalion of the Mahar Regiment.
| Service Number | 4558428 |
| Place of Birth | Solapur, Maharashtra |
| Rank | Sepoy |
| Unit | 8 Mahar |
| Regiment | Mahar Regiment |
| Award | Vir Chakra |
| Martyrdom | 16th October 1987 |
In October 1987, Sepoy Prabhakar Bayaji Patre’s unit was operating deep inside Sri Lanka and was in the thick of combat operations. On 16 Oct 1987, Sep Prabhakar Bayaji Patre’s unit was tasked to link with Jaffna fort. However, during their advance from road Junction for linking up with the Jaffna Fort, the troops came under heavy militant fire from Manippe. The whole battalion was pinned down and, in such conditions, Sep Prabhakar Bayaji Patre come forward to carry ammunition as part of the ‘Suicide squad’ to a company. En-route the squad was ambushed by the militants, but Sep Patre fought fearlessly and refused to give up. On reaching the company location, Sep Patre and his comrades had to make a fighting break-in, since the company was surrounded. Sep Patre took the lead and was the first to break the cordon. Without caring for his safety, Sep Patre ran spraying bullets all over to break the cordon. However, while doing so, he received multiple gun shots in his chest but kept advancing till he reached the company. His charge broke the cordon for the remaining soldiers. But Sep Patre eventually succumbed to his injuries and was martyred.
Sep Prabhakar Bayaji Patre was a gallant soldier and he was awarded ‘Vir Chakra’ posthumously.
