Grenadier Murad Khan VrC

Grenadier Murad Khan hailed from Khariya village of Nagaur district in Rajasthan and was born on 04 February 1950. Son of Shri Esmail Khan, Gdr Murad Khan joined the army after completing his school education on 04 February 1968 at the age of 18 years. He was enrolled into the 5 Grenadiers Battalion of the Grenadiers, an infantry Regiment known for its gallant soldiers and a string of battle exploits.

Eastern Sector Operation (Indo-Pak War) - 13-14 Nov 1971

Though the Indo-Pak war officially commenced on 03 Dec 1971, the Indian troops had been mobilized many months before that given the prevailing circumstances. The deluge of refugees from the erstwhile east Pakistan into India had started after the Pakistani Army had unleashed terror on the civilian population. The war seemed inevitable and the Indian Army deployed its forces to deal with the threat. Gdr Murad Khan's unit 5 Grenadiers was one of the units that got deployed in the eastern sector.  As part of the ongoing operations in the Eastern Sector, 5 Grenadiers battalion was ordered to capture an enemy post in the Bhurungamari area in Kurigram District of Rangpur division of present-day Bangladesh. Gdr Murad Khan was part of the team that was assigned the task.

Gdr Murad Khan and his comrades launched the attack on the enemy post as planned on the night of 13/14 Nov 1971. However, the assault was held up by an enemy Medium Machine Gun(MMG) that was bringing down very heavy and accurate fire from the left flank. Gdr Murad Khan realized that the enemy MMG had to be silenced at any cost to facilitate the advance of the own troops. Rising to the occasion Grenadier Murad Khan with complete disregard for his safety and under intense fire, crawled up to the Medium Machine Gun bunker and silenced the gun with a grenade. Thereafter, he saw two enemy personnel charging at his "Company Commander" with bayonets. He immediately rushed forward and in the hand-to-hand fight, killed one of the enemy soldiers. However while doing so, he got seriously injured. He soon succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. Gdr Murad Khan was a fearless and committed soldier who laid down his life at the age of 21 years in the line of his duty. Gdr Murad Khan was given the nation’s nation’s third highest gallantry award, “Vir Chakra” on 26 Jan 1972, for his outstanding courage, unyielding fighting spirit, and supreme sacrifice during the operation.

Gdr Murad Khan is survived by his wife Smt Dadam Devi.

The citation for the "Vir Chakra" awarded to him reads:-

A battalion of the Grenadiers was ordered to capture an enemy post in the Eastern Sector. The assault was held up by an enemy Medium Machine Gun bringing down very heavy and accurate fire from the left flank. With complete disregard to his personal safety and under intense fire, Grenadier Murad Khan crawled up to the Medium machine Gun bunker and silenced the gun with a grenade. Thereafter, he saw two enemy personnel charging his "Company Commander" with bayonets. He immediately rushed forward and in the hand-to-hand fight, killed one of the enemy personnel, but was himself fatally wounded.

In this action Grenadier Murad Khan displayed courage and determination of a high order.