Vir Chakra (VrC)

Our army posts in Ladakh, surrounded by Chinese invaders, depended solely on air support. On 4 October 1962, Squadron Leader S.K. Badhwar and Flight Lieutenant Kuppuswamy Lakshmi Narayanan flew many sorties to a post. During one sortie they had loss of engine power and landed in a riverbed. Some 150 Chinese on a hilltop beckoned them to surrender. With presence of mind they piloted the copter back to safety, thus saving valuable lives and equipment.

The courage displayed by the two officers in a difficult situation was of a high order.