Dewan Ranjit Rai, MVC

Biography

Born on 6 February 1913 in Gujranwala (now in Pakistan), Dewan Ranjit Rai completed his schooling at Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, and trained at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. Commissioned on 1 February 1935, he served a year with a British Army regiment before joining the 5th Battalion of the 11 Sikh Regiment in February 1936. He rose to acting Major by 1944 and was later selected as Military Attaché to the United States, but the outbreak of the Indo-Pak War redirected him to Kashmir. In October 1947, as tribal raiders invaded Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Colonel Rai was commanding the 1st Battalion, Sikh Regiment. On 27 October 1947 he led the first troops airlifted into Srinagar to save the city and its airfield. Deploying his companies to Baramulla and Srinagar, he advanced to Mile 32, where on 28 October his position came under a fierce assault by thousands of raiders with machine guns and mortars. The attack was repulsed, but the enemy sought to encircle him. While extricating his men from the tightening cordon, he was struck down by enemy fire. For his inspiring leadership and supreme sacrifice he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, becoming independent India's first recipient of the honour.