Captain Devinder Singh Ahlawat, MVC

Captain Devinder Singh was born on 4th July 1945 at village Gochhi in Jhajjar district of Haryana. The Gochhi village, 22 km from Rohtak, is famous for producing a very large number of Armed Forces personnel. Son of an Army veteran, Lt Colonel Subha Chand, Capt Devinder belonged to  a Jat family having a long history of serving in the Army.

Capt Devinder had his school education in various schools, as his father got transferred from one place to another. As a student he was serious, thoughtful and almost an introvert. However he had a strong desire to follow in the footsteps of his father and don the military uniform as soon as he could. After studying in the Government College, Rohtak for one year, he joined the National Defense Academy (NDA). On December 15th, 1967 he was commissioned as Second Lieutenant and assigned to 10 Dogra Battalion.

Indo – Pak war : 05 Dec 1971

During 1971 Capt Devinder’s unit was deployed on the western front. On the night of 5th December 1971, Capt Devinder was leading a company of 10 Dogra, at Dera Baba Nanak bridgehead. His battalion had been allotted the task of capturing the east end of the bridge.

The enemy defenses consisted of a series of concrete embankments having anti-tank guns and both light and heavy automatic weapons. Capt Devinder’s company came under intense fire from a concrete pill box. Capt Devinder realized that the machine gun was posing a serious threat to his troops and their advance towards the objective. having assessed the situation Capt Devinder, with complete disregard for his own safety, charged the pill box, grabbed the red hot machine gun barrel with his right hand and threw a grenade inside. This silenced the machine gun and helped in maintaining the momentum of the attack. This operation continued till next day of 6th December. While the objective was over-run, Captain Devinder Singh succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. His body was found with six bullet wounds, still clutching the machine gun barrel.

Capt Devinder Singh Ahlawat was given the nation’s second highest gallantry award Maha Vir Chakra  for his exceptional gallantry, indomitable spirit, devotion to duty and supreme sacrifice.

The citation for the Maha Vir Chakra awarded to him reads:

Captain Devinder Singh Ahlawat was leading a company of 10 Dogra on the night of 5th and 6th December, 1971, involved in the attack for the capture of Dera Baba Nanak bridgehead. His battalion had been allotted the task of capturing the east end of the bridge. The enemy defenses consisted of a series of concrete embankments having anti-tank guns and both light and heavy automatic weapons. His company came under intense fire from a concrete pill box. With complete disregard for his own safety, Captain Ahlawatcharged the pill box, grabbed the red hot machine gun barrel with his right hand and threw a grenade inside. This silenced the machine gun and helped in maintaining the momentum of the attack. While the objective was over-run, Captain Devinder Singh Ahlawat lost his life in this action. His body was found with six bullet wounds, still clutching the machine gun barrel.

In this operation Captain Ahlawat lost his life, while displaying conspicuous gallantry, outstanding leadership and determination in the best traditions of the Indian Army. On 5th December, 1971, he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC), for his admirable gallantry and leadership qualities.