Lance Naik Rabi Lal Thapa | Indian Army
A Gorkha soldier who made the supreme sacrifice while leading his section against enemy forces during the 1947-48 India-Pakistan War
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Lance Naik Rabi Lal Thapa of 1/1 Gorkha Rifles made the supreme sacrifice on 27 September 1948 during the India-Pakistan War of 1947-48 in Jammu and Kashmir.
On that day, a fighting patrol of the Gorkha Rifles was sent to Bhed, west of Jhangar, to intercept enemy movement towards Indian positions. The patrol came under heavy automatic fire from three directions.
Lance Naik Rabi Lal Thapa was commanding a section on the right flank when he realised that the enemy was attempting to encircle the patrol. He took the Bren gun and rushed forward to engage the enemy, killing three of them and forcing the enemy to withdraw.
When the enemy returned with reinforcements, Lance Naik Thapa recognised the danger to his section and ordered his men to withdraw. He then remained behind and engaged the advancing enemy, continuing to fire until he made the supreme sacrifice.
His action enabled the rest of the patrol to withdraw safely. In recognition of his conspicuous gallantry, courage and devotion to duty, Lance Naik Rabi Lal Thapa was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously.
The supreme sacrifice of Lance Naik Rabi Lal Thapa remains part of the proud history of the Indian Army and the Gorkha Rifles.
