Corporal Jyoti Prakash Nirala, AC (15 November 1986 - 18 November 2017) was a member of the Garud Commando Force. He was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime military decoration in January 2018. He is the first airman to receive the award for ground combat and only the third one to receive it overall after

Suhas Biswas Flight Lieutenant Suhas Biswas, AC (9 September 1924 – 1 September 1957) was an Officer in the Indian Air Force who was the first Air Force Officer to be awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime military award, in the year of 195 ...

and Rakesh Sharma.

Early and personal life

Nirala was a resident of the Badladih village of Rohtas district, Bihar. He was born on November 15, 1986 in Yadav family to Tej Narayan Singh Yadav and Malti Devi. Jyoti Prakash Nirala was married to Sushma Nand Yadav in 2010 and they have a daughter Jigyasa Kumari.

Military service

Nirala joined the Garud Commando Force of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

in 2005. His unit was deputed to the 13 Rashtriya Rifles and stationed in

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

under

Operation Rakshak Capt. Sanjay Chauhan, SC, was an Indian Army officer of the 16 Rajputana Rifles. During a military counter-insurgency operation in Jammu and Kashmir, India, Captain Chauhan attempted to infiltrate an enemy militant group. On the basis of action ...

Ashok Chakra

A joint offensive was launched by the Garud detachment and the 13 Rashtriya Rifles in Chanderger village, Bandipora district,

based on technical intelligence. His detachment covertly approached the house that had suspected militants hiding in it and laid a close quarter ambush. Nirala, armed with a light machine gun, positioned himself close to the approach of the hideout, cutting off all escape routes. In a bid to escape, the six militants rushed out, shooting and throwing grenades. He retaliated and shot down two category ‘A’ militants and injured two others. In the exchange, he was hit by a volley of small arms fire and kept firing despite being critically injured. Nirala subsequently succumbed to the fatal injuries received during the encounter in which all six militants were killed. He was awarded the

Ashok Chakra Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...

on 26 January 2018 for service and exhibiting bravery in fighting the militants. He is credited with eliminating the local leadership of Lakshar-e-Taiba. One of the militants killed during the operation was the nephew of Lashkar-e-Taiba commander

Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi (born 30 December 1960) is a Pakistani terrorist and co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba. One of the prime perpetrators in the 2008 Mumbai Attacks, he features on India's NIA Most Wanted list. In January 2021, he was arrested by ...

, a major planner of the

2008 Mumbai attacks The 2008 Mumbai attacks (also referred to as 26/11, pronounced "twenty six eleven") were a series of Terrorism, terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist terrorist organisation from P ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nirala, Jyoti Prakash Recipients of the Ashoka Chakra (military decoration) Deaths by firearm in India 2017 deaths Indian Air Force personnel Indian military personnel killed in action 1986 births People from Rohtas District Ashoka Chakra Garud Commandos