Devinder Singh Ahlawat

Captain Devinder Singh Ahlawat
MVC (Posthumous)
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Haryana, Bharat
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Martyrdom

कैप्टन देविंदर सिंह अहलावत, एमवीसी (बलिदानोपरांत)

Captain Devinder Singh Ahlawat, son of Lt Col S.C. Ahlawat, was born on 4 July 1947, in Gochhi, district Rohtak, Haryana.

He was commissioned in the Dogra Regiment on 16 December 1967. He belonged to a family with four generations in military service. His father and uncles retired as Colonels of the Indian Army.

During the Indo-Pak War 1971, 10 Dogra was deployed in the Punjab sector on the Western front. The battalion was asked to launch an attack on Dera Baba Nanak bridge on the night of 5 December with the objective to capture the eastern end of the bridge. The bridge was well protected by a series of concrete embankments fitted with anti-tank guns and heavy and light automatics.

In this attack, Captain Ahlawat led the ‘C’ Company, which was assigned the task of occupying Link Bund and Rail Bund. The advance of the company was held up by heavy medium machine gun fire from a concrete pill-box. All attempts to destroy this pill-box failed and in the process the company suffered heavy casualties. Captain Ahlawat could not bear this hurdle on his way to the objective. With total disregard for his life he charged upon the pill-box with a dash. He grabbed the hot machine gun barrel with his right hand and silenced the gun by throwing a grenade into the pill-box with his left hand. This enabled the company to make a charge and overrun the objective. In this bold attempt Captain Ahlawat lost his life, suffering six bullet wounds. He hung on to the machine gun barrel till the end.

For conspicuous gallantry and supreme sacrifice Captain Ahlawat was honoured with Mahavir Chakra, posthumously.