Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan of the 51 Special Action Group, NSG — on deputation from the 7th Battalion Bihar Regiment — led his team into the burning Taj Mahal Palace Hotel on the night of 27 November 2008. Floor by floor, he and his men cleared the building, rescuing trapped guests. On 28 November, while leading a rescue on the sixth floor, he was shot in the back by a terrorist. Despite being wounded, he shouted to his team: 'Don't come up — I'll handle them.' He continued fighting to protect his men and the hostages below him until he succumbed to his wounds. He was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry honour.