Major Ratnesh Kumar Chaturvedi VrC

Major Ratnesh Kumar Chaturvedi, hailed from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, was born on April 19, 1956. From an early age, he exhibited qualities of discipline, leadership, and a strong sense of duty—traits that would later define his career in the Indian Army. He was the son of Shri L.N. Chaube, who instilled in him the values of hard work, integrity, and commitment. His journey towards a life in uniform began when he joined Sainik School Rewa, a premier institution known for grooming future military leaders. It was here that his inclination towards the Armed Forces deepened, laying the foundation for his military aspirations. As he progressed in school, his determination to serve the nation as an officer in the Indian Army grew stronger. His dedication and perseverance led him to clear the competitive entrance process for the National Defence Academy (NDA), marking the first major step toward his dream.

After successfully completing his training at NDA, he joined the Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun, where he underwent rigorous training to prepare for a career in the Army. On June 11, 1977, at the age of 21, he was commissioned as an officer into the 5th Battalion of the Rajputana Rifles (5 Raj Rif)—one of the most decorated infantry regiments of the Indian Army, known for its fearless soldiers and rich history of valor. As an officer of the Rajputana Rifles, he honed his leadership skills and developed expertise in counter-insurgency and infantry warfare. His dedication, strategic thinking, and commitment to excellence earned him the respect of both his superiors and subordinates. By 1987, he had completed a decade of distinguished service in the Indian Army and had risen to the rank of Major. His career was marked by deployments in challenging environments, where he played a pivotal role in leading his troops with courage and determination.

Sri Lankan Operations (Op Pawan) : 18 Oct 1987

After the induction of Indian forces in Aug 1987 in Sri Lanka, as part of Indo-Sri Lankan accord, the militants were supposed to surrender but the dreaded LTTE backed out and unleashed war on Indian forces. The IPKF launched its first operation on 9 October 1987 after formulating a multi-pronged strategy to take on LTTE. Code-named Operation Op Pawan, it was expected to neutralize LTTE operational capability in and around Jaffna. This included the capture or neutralization of the LTTE’s chain of command, which was expected to leave the rebel movement directionless in the face of the impending assault on the LTTE strongholds by the IPKF. Maj Ratnesh Kumar Chaturvedi’s unit 5 Raj Rif was inducted into Sri Lanka as part of IPKF and got involved in the operations right after its induction.

As part of ongoing operations, on 18th Oct 1987, 5 Raj Rif was tasked to link up with 1 Martha light Infantry in Jaffna Fort. Maj Ratnesh was assigned the task of leading this operation along with his troops. When the force reached the final stages, the militants opened up heavy machine guns and light machine guns. Maj Ratnesh and his men took position and returned fire. However the militants were large in numbers and putting up a stiff defence. The time was running out and ammunition running low. Therefore Maj Ratnesh decided to personally lead his company’s assault at the militants gun position. While doing so, he was hit on his chest.

Despite being wounded severely, Maj Ratnesh continued moving towards the militants heavy machine gun and kept on encouraging his men to rush to the militants location. Facing a daredevil attack, the militants ran for their life vacating the post. The company kept firing, killing six, and two of them were killed by Maj Ratnesh. Though seriously injured, Maj Ratnesh refused to be evacuated. Later owing to excessive loss of blood, he lost consciousness eventually succumbed to his injuries. Maj Ratnesh Kumar Chaturvedi was a committed soldier and gritty office who led from the front and laid down his life at the age of 31 years in the line of his duty. Maj Ratnesh Kumar Chaturvedi was awarded “Vir Chakra”, for his conspicuous courage, valiant leadership and supreme sacrifice.

Maj Ratnesh Kumar Chaturvedi is survived by his son Shri Kendraindu Chaturvedi. 

Citation for the "Vir Chakra" awarded to him reads:-

On 18th October, 1987, 5 Rajputana Rifles was tasked to link up with 1 Martha light Infantry in Jaffna Fort. When the force reached the final stages of link up, the militants opened up heavy machine guns and light machine guns halting the advance. The company leading the advance took position and returned fire. There was no let up in militants fire. The time was running out and ammunition running low. Therefore Major Chaturvedi personally led his company’s assault at the militants gun position. While charging, he got a burst on his chest.

Unmindful of the bleeding and his personal safety, Major Chaturvedi continued moving towards the militants heavy machine gun and kept on coaxing his men to rush to the militants location. The militants ran for their life vacating the post. The company kept firing at the fleeing militants, killing six, two of them by Major Chaturvedi. Despite severe injuries, he refused to be evacuated. However, due to serious nature of injuries and loss of blood, he loss consciousness and succumbed to his injuries. The companies ultimately completed task of link up with 1 Maratha Light Infantry in time.

Major Ratnesh Kumar Chaturvedi thus displayed conspicuous courage and valiant leadership in the face of the militants.