Chuni Lal, AC, VrC, SM

Biography

Chuni Lal was born on 6 March 1968 in Bhaderwah and hailed from Bhar village in the Doda district of Jammu & Kashmir. He enlisted in the 8th Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry in 1987 at the age of nineteen. As a young soldier, he volunteered for the operation to capture Bana Post, perched at 21,153 feet on the Siachen Glacier, an act of valour for which he was awarded the Sena Medal. During Operation Rajiv in June 1987, he joined the task force led by Naib Subedar Bana Singh to evict Pakistani intruders from the heavily fortified "Quaid Post" atop the Saltoro Ridge. On 26 June 1987, after a perilous crawling approach, the assault drove out the intruders. Chuni Lal single-handedly killed two attackers and played a key role in the elimination of twelve, earning the Vir Chakra. In 2007 his unit was deployed along the Line of Control in the Kupwara Sector. In the early hours of 24 June 2007, his team detected an infiltration attempt, triggering a fierce hour-long firefight. Disregarding his own safety, he crawled out to rescue two wounded comrades and killed three attackers before being mortally wounded. He succumbed to his injuries and was honoured with the Ashoka Chakra.