Prabhakar Bayaji Patre, VrC

Biography

Sepoy Prabhakar Bayaji Patre was born on 1 June 1967 in Wagdari village of Solapur district, Maharashtra. He completed his schooling at the Vidyavardhak Shelke Pathshala in Wagdari, and on 21 July 1986, at the age of nineteen, he joined the Indian Army. He was inducted into the 8th Battalion of the Mahar Regiment, an infantry unit renowned for its brave soldiers and numerous battle honours. By October 1987 his unit was operating deep inside Sri Lanka as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force, engaged in intense combat against LTTE militants during the battle for Jaffna. On 16 October 1987 his battalion was tasked with linking up with Jaffna Fort. As the troops advanced from a road junction, they came under heavy militant fire from Manippe. With the whole battalion imperilled, Sepoy Patre volunteered as part of a 'suicide squad' to carry ammunition to a surrounded company. Ambushed on the way, he fought fearlessly and refused to give up. Disregarding his own safety, he charged forward firing in all directions to break the encirclement, and though struck by several bullets in the chest, he pressed on, breaching the cordon for the remaining troops before succumbing to his injuries. He was awarded the Vir Chakra for his conspicuous courage and supreme sacrifice.