Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

Puneet Nath Datt, AC (29 April 197320 July 1997) was an officer of the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

11 Gorkha Rifles The 11 Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army that was re-raised after independence. The regiment consists of primarily the Kirant Tribes Rai, Limbu, Yakkha, Sunuwar of Eastern Nepal, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Dooars of West Benga ...

. He was

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...

awarded India's highest peacetime

gallantry award Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. DoD Manual 1348.33, 2010, Vol. 3 A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medal ...

, 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 ...

, for bravery displayed in an Indian Army operation. The operation was conducted against terrorists hidden in a three-story building in the Nowshera area of

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

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 ...

Early life

Puneet Nath Datt was born on April 29, 1973, in

Jodhpur Jodhpur (; ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of the princely state of Jodhpur State. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the Ki ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

. He completed his schooling at St. Bethany's School in

Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal, ...

, St. Joseph's Academy in

Dehradun Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislative As ...

, St. Xavier's School in Jaipur, and attained his class XII from Tagore Public School in Jaipur. As a child and while in high school, his ambition was to join the

, and he pursued it by preparing for entry into the renowned

National Defence Academy The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the joint defence service training institute of the Indian Armed Forces, where cadets of the three services i.e. the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force train together before they go on ...

. He secured entry into the NDA in December 1991. At the NDA, he had a brilliant record, and due to his proficiency in both academic & military subjects as well as outstanding officer-like qualities, he was awarded the coveted rank of 'Cadet Sergeant Major' for his 'Echo' squadron. As a Cadet Sergent Major, he won the prized Cross Country Shield for his squadron. He was also awarded three gold medals in rowing.

Family

His father's name was

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Pramod Nath Datt, who also served in the 1/11 Gorkha Rifles. This inspired Datt to join the same regiment. His grandfather's name was

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

S.N.C Bakshi, who also served in the

. While his uncle V. K. C. Bakhshi, was a

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

in the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...

. He was posthumously awarded the

which was received on his behalf by his mother, Anita Datt, from the President of India on January 26, 1998, India's Republic Day.

Military career

Puneet Nath Datta was commissioned in the 1/11 Gorkha Rifles on December 9, 1995. He took part in an encounter that panned out as a cordon & search operation on specific information from a source cultivated by him regarding presence of foreign militants in a building in the Nowshera locality of

. The operation was started on July 20, 1997, and the building was completely surrounded by 0400 hours. The militants were secure within the three-story building located in a densely populated and congested area. At daybreak when the terrorists found that they were surrounded, they resorted to indiscriminate firing. One militant ran out firing on the search party. Seeing the militant firing on his troops, he ordered his troops to take cover and sprang up and shot the militant in an eye-to-eye encounter while maneuvering his position to block the rear exit of the building. The remaining militants inside the building continued firing on the troops, resulting in him being seriously wounded. He then lobbed a grenade inside the building, killing the remaining militants and destroying a considerable amount of the enemy's arms and ammunition. He attained martyrdom and immortalized himself by carving a niche in the annals of his Regiment and the Indian Army's history.

Ashok Chakra awardee

Puneet Nath Datt was posthumously awarded the

Ashoka 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, ...

, the India's highest peace time gallantry award on 15 August 1997.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Datt, Puneet Nath Recipients of the Ashoka Chakra (military decoration) 1973 births 1997 deaths Indian Army officers Indian military personnel killed in action