Bravest of the Brave: CDS Chauhan launches book on highly decorated Indian soldier
New Delhi, April 16. Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan on Wednesday launched a book titled Bravest of the Brave authored by Lt Gen (Retd) Satish Dua chronicling the inspiring life of Naib Subedar Chunni Lal, one of India’s most highly decorated soldiers.
Releasing the book at the United Service Institute (USI) of India, Gen Chauhan appreciated Dua for writing the book eulogizing the life of Naib Subedar Chunni Lal.
Naib Subedar Chunni Lal was an Indian Army soldier of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (8 JAK LI). He was born in Bhaderwah, and basically from Gandhari Paddar and lived in Bhara village with his parents, Shanker Dass and Shakuntala Devi, in Doda district of Jammu. Decorated with Vir Chakra and Sena Medal, Lal was killed in action on June 24, 2007, in a militant flush-out operation in Kashmir’s Kupwara sector. These militants, all of whom were also shot dead, were trying to cross the Line of Control (LoC) and enter Indian territory. The success of this militant flush-out operation, which claimed his life, earned him the highest peacetime military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield, the Ashok Chakra. He is the most highly decorated soldier of the Indian Army of all time, honoured with the Sena Medal, Vir Chakra and Ashok Chakra.
During the event, Gen Chauhan also conferred the MacGregor Memorial Medals awarded by the USI recognising valuable military intelligence through reconnaissance, exploration, survey or other similar activities of national importance. The recipients included Devidutta Panda, an acclaimed mountaineer of Odisha, Rahul Kumar Pandey of the Indian Navy, Col Ranveer Singh Jamwal of the Indian Army, who has summitted Mt Everest three times besides the highest peaks in all the seven continents, Ram Ratan Jat, CHEAA(R) of the Indian Navy who had created history by finishing second in the HellUltraRace of the Great Himalayan Running Festival held from June 17 to 22, 2024,and Sergeant JR Poonia of the Indian Air Force.
