Vir Chakra (VrC)

On 4 February 1948, while withdrawing on being pursued by the enemy half a' dozen times as strong as itself, the patrol, of which Sepoy Harpal Singh was a member, got surrounded from three sides with immediate threat to its rear. The patrol commander ordered withdrawal. Seeing heavy odds against the patrol, Sepoy Harpal Singh, who was No. 1 to an LMG, volunteered to stay behind and cover the withdrawal till their 2 inch mortar could open up from the rear.

Exhibiting complete detachment with the rest of the withdrawal, he kept on firing well controlled bursts at the enemy, inflicting casualties and keeping him at a distance. He was ordered to withdraw but while doing so was hit badly in both his legs, and rendered helpless. Suffering great agony he crawled about 100 yards with his gun when a man came to his help but got shot fatally. He then crawled to a new position and started firing but when the enemy reached very near, he abandoned his gun, crawled another 150 yards into the grass and hid his Bren gun containing six full magazines, which were recovered later by another patrol. His controlled, short and well-timed bursts were deathblows to the enemy. He himself succumbed to his wounds.

It was largely due to the personal courage, coolness, indifference to self and sacrifice of this gallant Rajput who, in spite of being confronted with extremely heavy odds, stayed behind to extricate the rest of the patrol, thus laying down his life for others.