Arun Singh Jasrotia, AC, SM

Biography

Captain Arun Singh Jasrotia was born on 16 August 1968 in Pathankot, Punjab. He was commissioned into the 8th Battalion of the Bihar Regiment on 17 December 1989, and later volunteered for the elite Special Forces, serving with the 9th Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, 9 Para (SF). A bold and inspiring officer, he earned the Sena Medal for his gallantry during operations at Tilgam in the Baramulla district, fighting militancy in Jammu and Kashmir as part of Operation Rakshak. In September 1995, during an operation in the Lolab Valley, Captain Jasrotia led his men against a group of heavily armed militants. Though hit by multiple gunshot wounds, he pressed home the assault, neutralising several terrorists and inspiring his troops to eliminate the rest. He succumbed to his injuries on 26 September 1995 at the age of twenty-seven. For his conspicuous courage and supreme sacrifice he was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra, the nation's highest peacetime gallantry award. His valour remains an abiding inspiration.