Darshan Singh Lalli, VrC

Biography

Major Darshan Singh Lalli hailed from Jalandhar district in Punjab, where he was born on 9 August 1925 to Shri Khem Singh. He joined the Army on 15 May 1950 at the age of 24 and was commissioned into the Dogra Regiment, an infantry regiment renowned for its intrepid soldiers and a glorious record of battle exploits. By 1965 he had completed some fifteen years of service, risen to the rank of Major, and gained substantial operational experience and field-craft across various theatres. He later joined the 6 Dogra battalion, raised at Meerut Cantonment on 1 October 1964, which was inducted into Jammu and Kashmir in April 1965 as part of 68 Infantry Brigade. During the 1965 Indo-Pak War, 6 Dogra undertook numerous counter-infiltration operations before moving to the Hajipir Pass sector, which it reached on 3 September 1965. After the capture of Point 7720, renamed "Dogra Hills", the battalion was tasked to clear Gitian, comprising Tree Hill, Hut Hill and the Knoll. Major Lalli, commanding 'B' Company, was assigned the capture of Tree Hill in a planned silent attack on the night of 20/21 September 1965. As his men closed to within 200 yards of the objective, the enemy opened heavy fire from a defended, mined position. Despite mounting casualties and intense shelling, Major Lalli led a gallant charge and captured the feature after close-quarter fighting through the night. He then reorganised his defences to meet a fierce counter-attack by nearly 250 enemy troops supported by artillery and medium machine guns, repulsing it with only 60 men while moving from bunker to bunker to encourage his soldiers. While reorganising after the counter-attack, he was struck by a burst of enemy MMG fire and succumbed to his injuries. For his dauntless courage, leadership and supreme sacrifice, Major Darshan Singh Lalli was awarded the Vir Chakra.