List of 21 Param Vir Chakra Winners Every Indian Should Know And Be Proud Of

Our nation has 21 Param Vir Chakra (PVC) winners. These are the men of steel who have given their everything to keep our country safe. With acts of supreme and selfless bravery, they have won the country's highest wartime gallantry award. But how well do you know them?

List of All Param Vir Chakra Awardees in India

Here's a look at what they have done to win what's arguably the highest honour of the country.

1. Maj. Somnath Sharma ( 1st winner of Param Vir Chakra )
4 Kumaon|Badgam, Kashmir|November 3, 1947

bharatmatamandir.in

Major Somnath Sharma was the first person to receive the Param Vir Chakra Award. Major Sharma, with a broken arm, staved off enemy attacking on Badgam aerodrome and Srinagar. He was personally filling magazines and issuing them to the light machine gunners. His death inspired the fellow soldiers to fight the enemy 7:1 for six hours.

2. Naik Jadunath Singh
1 Rajput|Taindhara, Naushera, Kashmir| February 6, 1948

satyameva-jayate.org

Naik Singh was commanding a forward post when the enemy attacked. We suffered heavy losses. Eventually, Singh somehow saved his troops but fell to bullets.

3. 2nd Lt Rama Raghoba Rane

Bombay Engineers|Naushera-Rajouri Road|April 8-11, 1948

2.bp.blogspot.com

Rane braved machine gun fire, cleared mines and roadblocks as he laid a path for tanks. His diligence over days, despite being wounded, facilitated the advance on Rajouri. He drove to a roadblock in a tank, crouched under it, and cleared the mines.

4. Company Haviladar Major Piru Singh
6 Rajputana Rifles|Tithwal sector, J&K|July 18, 1948

wikipedia

Major Singh single-handedly occupied an enemy post and moved to attack another when a grenade hit him. He still lobbed grenades and managed to destroy another bunker before succumbing to death.

5. Lance Naik Karam Singh
1 Sikh|Tithwal sector, J&K|October 13, 1948

wikipedia

Lance Naik Singh commanded a post when the enemy launched eight strikes. The Sikhs repulsed each wave but Karam Singh was wounded. When 2 enemy soldiers came too close, he bayoneted the intruders to death.

6. Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria
3/1 Gorkha Rifles|Elizabethville, Katanga, Congo|December 5, 1961

wikipedia

Part of the UN Force, Capt. Salaria and his Gorkhas charged a roadblock, killing 40 and knocking out two enemy cars. The rest fled. Salaria died of heavy bullet wounds.

7. Major Dhan Singh Thapa
1/8 Gorkha Rifles|Ladakh|October 21, 1962

wikipedia

Major Thapa's post in Ladakh came under Chinese attack. He killed many in hand-to-hand combat before he was overpowered. He was presumed dead but it came to light that he'd been taken PoW. Major Thapa was later freed.

8. Subedar Joginder Singh
1 Sikh|Tawang, Arunachal|October 20-23, 1962

sikh-history.com

Holding a position in Tongpeng La area, Subedar Singh faced repeated attacks by the Chinese. Despite a wound in the thigh, he refused evacuation. He manned a light machine gun and killed a large number of enemies. Finally better weapons of the enemy prevailed and Singh was martyred.

9. Major Shaitan Singh
13 Kumaon Regiment|Rezang La, Chusul sector, Ladakh|November 18, 1962

wikipedia

Holding a key position, Major Singh's men came under heavy Chinese attack. Hurt, he ordered his men to leave him there. They placed him behind a boulder where he succumbed to his injuries.

10. Lt. Col. A B Tarapore
17 Poona Horse|Phillora, Sialkot, Pakistan|September 11-16, 1965

3.bp.blogspot.com

Told to deliver the armoured thrust to capture Phillora, Lt.Col. Tarapore was at the helm of the tank battle of 1965 Indo-Pak war. He led assault on Jassoran & Butur-Dograndi. He was mortally wounded.

11. Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid
4 Grenadiers|Cheema, Khem Karan|September 10, 1965

wikipedia

Havilar moved out with his anti-tank recoilless rifle mounted on a jeep when Pak forces attacked Karan sector. Hamid was mortally wounded.

12. Lance Naik Albert Ekka
14 Guards|Gangasagar, 6 1/2km west of Agartala|December 4, 1971

wikipedia

Ordered to capture a position during the 1971 Indo-Pak War. Ekka charged an enemy bunker, bayoneted enemy soldiers, silenced a LMG, hurled a grenade into an enemy bunker before finally succumbing to injuries.

13. Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon
No.18 "Flying Bullets" Squadron|Srinagar|December 14, 1971

oddpad.com

Srinagar airfield was attacked by a wave of 6 Sabre aircraft. Flying officer Sekhon engaged a pair of the attacking Sabres, succeeded in damaging two of the enemy aircraft before his plane crashed.

14. Second Lt. Arun Khetarpal
17 Poona Horse, 47 Infantry Brigade| Shakargarh sector|December 16, 1971

2ltarunkhetarpal.com

To establish a bridge-head across a river in the '71 war, he attacked enemy points, captured soldiers and destroyed tanks. Later he died when his tank was hit.

15. Major Hoshiar Singh
Grenadiers Regiment| Shakargarh sector| December 17, 1971

wikipedia

Facing a wave of counter attacks, Major Singh, while he was injured, rushed to a machine-gun pit and manned the gun himself till the enemy retreated. Singh refused to be evacuated till the ceasefire.

16. Naib Subedar Bana Singh
J&K Light Infantry|Siachen|1987

wikipedia

Leading his men through a hazardous route to rid the area of Pakistani infiltrators in '87, Naib Subedar Singh lobbed grenades, charged with a bayonet, and, moving from trench to trench, cleared the post of all intruders.

17. Major Ramaswamy Parameswaram
Mahar Regiment|Sri Lanka (Operation Pawan)|November 25, 1987

wikipedia

Parameswaram's column was ambushed. He encircled the enemy and charged. Despite getting shot in the chest, he snatched the rifle from a militant and shot him in the head. He gave orders till his last breath.

18. Captain Vikram Batra
13 J&K Rifles|July 7, 1999

During the Kargil war, Captain Batra engaged three enemy soldiers in close combat and killed them as his Delta Company recaptured Point 5140 before overrunning enemy posts at Point 4750 and Point 4875. He was killed by enemy fire as he tried to rescue a fellow officer.

19. Lt. Manoj Kumar Pandey
1/11 Gorkha Rifles|July 2-3, 1999

wikipedia

Lt. Manoj Kumar Pandey forced back intruders from Batalik and led his men to recapture Jaubar Top. In a bid to recapture Khalubar, the battalion was halted by enemy fire but Pandey surged ahead through a hail of bullets, collapsing only after the last of the enemies had been killed.

20. Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav
18 Grenadiers|July 3-4, 1999

im.rediff.com

Tasked to capture 3 Tiger Hill bunkers, Grenadier Yadav, after being hit by three bullets, climbed the remaining 60 feet to an enemy bunker at the top and lobbed a grenade, killing 4 and neutralising enemy fire.

21. Rifleman Sanjay Kumar
13 J&k Rifles|July 4, 1999

armyadream.com

Tasked with capturing a point in Ladakh's Mushkoh Valley, Rifleman Kumar crawled alone up the ledge, picked up an enemy machine gun and killed three enemy soldiers.

Param Vir Chakra Winners List

Here are all the PVC awardees in one massive infographic-

Never forget it's because of people like them, that we are able to sleep soundly at night. Respect.