Rifleman Surjan Singh Bhandari of the Garhwal Rifles was serving with the 51 Special Action Group of the National Security Guard when terrorists attacked the Akshardham Temple complex in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on 24 September 2002.
The NSG task force was deployed to deal with the attackers as the operation moved into the night. Surjan Singh volunteered to move ahead as a scout and crawled forward under heavy fire, providing accurate fire to support the movement of his comrades.
He Shielded His Commander Under Fire
During the engagement, Surjan Singh sustained splinter injuries to his face. When his Squadron Commander came under direct fire, he moved in front of him and shielded him with his own body, sustaining further injuries.
Despite being seriously wounded, he continued firing and throwing grenades at the terrorists. He later spotted a muzzle flash and fired his carbine at the position. In the retaliatory fire, he suffered a critical splinter injury to his head and fell unconscious.
He was evacuated to a civil hospital in Ahmedabad and remained in a coma for nearly 600 days. He was subsequently shifted to AIIMS, New Delhi, where he succumbed to his injuries on 19 May 2004. :chatgpt-content-reference{index="1"}
For his exceptional courage, selfless devotion to duty and supreme sacrifice, Rifleman Surjan Singh Bhandari was awarded the Kirti Chakra posthumously. :chatgpt-content-reference{index="2"}
