Mahabir Prasad, MVC

Biography

Captain Mahabir Prasad was born on 16 January 1936 in Kolkata, West Bengal, to Shri Indar Prasad. From a young age he displayed discipline, leadership, and a strong sense of duty—qualities that would come to define his military career. Driven by a desire to serve the nation, he joined the Indian Army and was commissioned as an officer on 9 June 1957. He was inducted into the 1 Sikh Battalion of the Sikh Regiment, one of the oldest and most decorated regiments of the Indian Army, renowned for its gallantry and distinguished battlefield service. By 1962, after nearly five years of dedicated service, Captain Prasad had earned the admiration of his superiors and comrades for his professionalism and courage. As tensions along the Indo-China border escalated into open war in October 1962, his unit was deployed to the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA), in the region that is now Arunachal Pradesh. The Namka Chu valley, overlooked by the formidable Thagla Ridge, lay at the heart of the territorial dispute, and it was here that hostilities erupted. On 20 October 1962, at 5:14 a.m., Chinese forces unleashed a massive artillery and mortar bombardment on Indian positions at Namka Chu and Tsangdhar before launching an infantry assault. Captain Mahabir Prasad, then attached to 1/9 Gorkha Rifles, rallied his men under withering fire and led the defence with determination. When around 500 Chinese troops attacked with overwhelming force, he and his handful of men fought with extraordinary valour, inflicting heavy casualties on the advancing enemy. Grievously wounded in the fierce fighting, Captain Mahabir Prasad was killed in action. For his repeated acts of bravery, inspiring leadership, and supreme sacrifice, he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, the nation's second-highest gallantry award.