2nd/Lt. Arun Khetarpal

2nd lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, son of Brigadier M.L. Khetarpal AVSM, was born on 14 Oct. 1950, in , . Arun came from family with a tradition of service in the army. In Lawrence school, sanawar he distinguished himself both in academics and sports. In 1967 he joined NDA (National defence academy) and then sent to . He was commissioned in the 17 Horse on 13 June 1971 and was a posthumous recipient of the , 's highest military decoration for valour in face of the enemy. Arun was a swimmer and golfer. 17 horse has the unique distinction of having been awarded 2 Victoria crosses and 2 Param Vir chakras. During the 1971 Indo-Pak war, the 47th infantry brigade, with the 17 horse was ordered to establish a brigade- head across the Basantar River in Shakargarh sector. The 47 Infantry Brigade completed the task by 2100 hrs on December 15th. It was now for the engineers to remove the enemy minefields and make a safe lane for the induction of the 17 horse Tanks. While the engineers were half way through their task, the Indian troops at the bridge-head reported alarming activity of the enemy task. The troops requested immediate tank support. At this critical juncture, the 17-horse decided to push through the minefield come what may. By first light on December 16th, the regiment established a link-up between the armour and the infantry at the bridge-head. At the 0800 hrs, the enemy made a counter-attack with the armour regiment, under the cover of a smoke screen. The Indian troops were heavily outnumbered; the commander of ‘B’ squadron of 27 horse requested reinforcement. Arun answered the call and moved out to face the enemy attack with his two Tanks. Troops came under fire from enemy strong points and recoilless gun nests (Guns to destroy Tanks), in the bridge-head zone. 2nd Lt. Arun Khetarpal fiercely attacked these strong points and over-ran enemy defences and captured many enemy soldiers and recoilless guns. The commander of the second tank was killed on the spot leaving Arun alone. Arun continued to attack the enemy single-handed. He then raced to the ‘B’ Squadron position. By the time he reached there, the enemy tanks were on the retreat. He pursued and destroyed one of these tanks. The ‘B’ Squadron commander could persuade him to fall back in the line after great difficulty. The enemy soon reformed for a second attack. This time they chose the sector held by 2nd Lt. Arun Khetarpal and two other officers, for the main attack. The enemy employed a complete armoured squadron against these three tanks in order to achieve a breakthrough. A fierce tank battle followed. As many as ten enemy tanks were destroyed and of these 2nd lieutenants Khetarapal alone destroyed four. 2nd Lt. Khetarpal’s tank, also received a shot and burst into flames. The commander ordered 2nd Lt. Khetarpal to abandon the burning tank. But realising the useful role of his tank in preventing a breakthrough the communicated the following message to his commander, “No Sir, I will not abandon my tank. My gun is still working and I’ll get these bastards.” Then he set about destroying the remaining enemy tanks. The last enemy tank, which he shot, was barely 100 meters from his positions. At this stage his tank received a second hit. The brave officer met his death denying the enemy the intended breakthrough. So, he was martyred in action in the battle of basantar in the Battlefield of Shakargarh during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 where his actions earned him his honour.

Tanks at Battle of Basantar After Sappers cleared the mines Thank you, Jai Hind. Name: -CDT PATHIK PANCHAL Unit: -1.MAH.ARMD.SQDN.NCC