Hero of Congo : Mahavir Chakra winner L/NK Ran Bahadur Gurung

Lance Naik Ran Bahadur Gurung

India was one of the United Nations countries that sent troops to Congo to restore peace there in 1961 when the province of Katanga tried to break away the Congo. The hostile Katanga forces had occupied many vital points and set up roadblocks in Elizabethville. On 6 December 1961, when our troops were attacking enemy positions in Katanga, they came under intense machine gun and rifle fire. Lance Naik R.B. Gurung, who was second in command of one of the sections of a platoon, crawled approximately 300 yards with his Bren group and closed in on the enemy post. The party was under fire not only from the enemy post, which they were attacking, but also from an enemy medium machine gun located on a nearby ridge. Lance Naik Gurung successfully destroyed the enemy post, killing all the nine personnel therein. He himself was, however, killed by a burst of machine gun from the ridge area. Lance Naik R.B. Gurung's undaunted personal courage, exemplary devotion to duty and conspicuous gallantry were in the best traditions of the Army. Lance Naik Gurung was posthumously awarded the Mahavir Chakra for his courage and gallantry.