Trilok Singh Kathait, KC

Biography

Havildar Trilok Singh Kathait hailed from Nagli village in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand and served with the 3rd Battalion of The Garhwal Rifles. Drawn from the rugged hills that have long been a cradle of soldiering tradition, he carried into uniform the quiet steadiness, physical hardiness, and devotion to duty that distinguish the men of his regiment. On 8 May 1957, his battalion was engaged in counter-insurgency operations against hostile elements entrenched in the Barail Range of the Naga Hills. Commanding No. 5 Platoon, Havildar Kathait was tasked with assaulting a well-fortified hostile position dug into the heights. As his platoon advanced, it came under heavy and sustained fire from the entrenched defenders, pinning down the leading sections and threatening to halt the assault. Without hesitation, he charged the hostile post in the face of a withering hail of fire, leading his men forward through the open ground. He was shot through the chest as he closed in on the position, but with extraordinary presence of mind he immediately hurled a hand grenade into the bunker, dislodging the hostiles from their vantage and breaking the back of their resistance. Though critically wounded and rapidly losing strength, he refused to fall back and kept exhorting his men to press home the attack until the objective was secured. His selfless action saved his company from certain heavy casualties and turned what could have been a costly reverse into a decisive success. For his conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage, and supreme sacrifice in the highest traditions of the Indian Army, Havildar Trilok Singh Kathait was awarded the Kirti Chakra, the nation's second-highest peacetime gallantry award.