Vir Chakra (VrC)

Havildar Jash Thakur was a squad commander of Bravo Team 9 Para Commando. He had participated in almost all the special missions launched by the unit since October 1987 in Sri Lanka. On 12 April 1989, he and his squad accompanying a platoon of 12 JAT had an encounter with a group of approximately 20 to 25 militants. In the initial phases of the encounter, his squad members were wounded and their vehicle came to a dead stop. Havildar Jash Thakur stood his ground amongst the wounded and brought down effective fire on the militants from the Light Machine Gun mounted on the vehicle. The militants attempted several times to rush to the vehicle. Havildar Thakur along with Captain Sanjay Kumar Thapa successfully foiled all such attempts. Four to five militants were killed and 7 militants injured. Havildar Thakur having exhausted his Light Machine Gun ammunition grabbed a weapon from one of his wounded squad members, jumped out of the vehicle and charged at a militant who was trying to remove the weapons from the wounded. In this process, Havildar Thakur was fatally wounded and he made the supreme sacrifice of his life.

Havildar Jash Thakur thus displayed conspicuous courage and valour in the face of the militants.