Vir Chakra (VrC)
Awardee: Lal Bahadur Khattri MVC, VrC
Citation
On 15 February 48, in the vicinity of Poonch, Havildar Lal Bahadur Khattri was in command of 10 Platoon in Delta Company on a ridge which the battalion had captured on the previous night. One section his Platoon had been sent out as an outpost on a feature some 200 yards to North. At daybreak, this outpost section came under heavy mortar and automatic fire. It was overlooked by strong enemy locality, and he was ordered to get his section back as best as he could.
The section crawled back to our main position, but two men lay wounded at the outpost position, and could not return unaided. Seeing their plight, Havildar Lal Bahadur himself went forward to get the wounded back. As he broke cover, he himself was wounded in his shoulder. He could easily have returned to the battalion position without further danger to himself, but regardless of personal safety he crawled forward over 200 yards of bullet-swept ground to the two wounded men of his Platoon, and helped them back to the battalion position
The section crawled back to our main position, but two men lay wounded at the outpost position, and could not return unaided. Seeing their plight, Havildar Lal Bahadur himself went forward to get the wounded back. As he broke cover, he himself was wounded in his shoulder. He could easily have returned to the battalion position without further danger to himself, but regardless of personal safety he crawled forward over 200 yards of bullet-swept ground to the two wounded men of his Platoon, and helped them back to the battalion position