Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey

Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey of the 1st Battalion 11 Gorkha Rifles was tasked with capturing the ridgeline at Khalubar in the Batalik sector — one of the most heavily fortified enemy positions of the Kargil War. On the night of 2–3 July 1999, despite being wounded twice, he led his platoon up a near-vertical cliff face under heavy fire. He personally cleared three enemy bunkers with grenades and a khukri. As he moved to clear the fourth, he was hit by a burst of automatic fire and succumbed. His last recorded words were 'Na chhodnu' — 'Don't leave them.' His sacrifice allowed subsequent companies to secure the Khalubar complex. He was 24 years old and was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra.