Gurbachan Singh Salaria, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetGurbachan Singh Salaria
Recipient of Param Vir Chakra
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Gurdaspur, Punjab, India
About Gurbachan Singh Salaria
- Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria, PVC (29 November 1935 – 5 December 1961) was an Indian Army officer and member of a United Nations peacekeeping force.
- He is the only UN peacekeeper to receive the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), India's highest wartime military decoration.
- Singh was an alumnus of Rashtriya Military School Bangalore (King George's Royal Indian Military College) and the National Defence Academy.
- He was the first NDA alumnus and is the only UN Peacekeeper to be awarded a PVC. In December 1961, Salaria was among the Indian troops deployed to the Republic of the Congo as part of the United Nations Operation in the Congo.
- On 5 December, Salaria's battalion was tasked to clear a roadblock of two armoured cars manned by 150 gendarmes of the secessionist State of Katanga on the way to the Elizabethville Airport.
- The plan was that Salaria and his men were to block their retreat.
- His rocket launcher team attacked and destroyed the Katangese armoured cars.
- This unforeseen move confused the gendarmerie, and Salaria felt it would be best to attack before they reorganised.
- Though his troops were badly outnumbered, they charged towards the Katangese and killed 40 men in a kukri assault.
- During the attack, Salaria was shot twice in the neck and eventually succumbed to his injuries.
- The remaining gendarmes fled in utter confusion leaving their dead and wounded behind.
- This helped the main battalion to easily overrun the Katangese and clear the roadblock.
- For his duty and courage, and disregard for his own safety during the battle, Salaria was awarded the Param Vir Chakra.
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