Brigadier Ravi Datt Mehta, KC (1954 / 1955 – 7 July 2008) was an flag officer in the Indian Army. He died in the

suicide bombing A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout histor ...

of the Indian Embassy in Kabul while serving as India's

Defence Attaché Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indus ...

to Afghanistan on 7 July 2008. He was awarded the Kirti Chakra, India's second highest gallantry award.

Early life and military career

'' The Indian Express'' states that he was a math wizard in his younger days. He joined the Indian Army in 1976 and went on to become a highly rated officer. His selection as

defence attaché Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indus ...

in Kabul is said to have followed an intensive screening process that shortlists the candidate pool to unofficially the "top three" officers of the Indian Army, prior to making the final selection for the job. He had proficiency in many languages, including Pashto,

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

and Tibetan. His work as defence attaché in Kabul was praised in both Indian media and Pakistani media. In the words of a columnist for '' Dawn'', he was: "an affable defence attaché who was popular with Indian expatriates and local Afghans alike." It is speculated that he was targeted, allegedly by the Taliban and its state-run '' de facto'' intelligence service, Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), due to his close monitoring of the re-established links between those two organizations, and due to his significant role in training the Afghan army. He was said to have a "good relationship" with Afghan defence minister Abdul Rahim Wardak. Brig. Mehta had earlier also served as the head of the Indian Army's Intelligence Corps in the state of

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 ...

Legacy and honours

A road in his hometown Shimla near his childhood home was posthumously renamed in his honour. India's second-highest peacetime gallantry award. His funeral was attended by

Chief of Army Staff Chief of Army Staff or Chief of the Army Staff which is generally abbreviated as COAS is a title commonly used for the appointment held by the most senior staff officer or the chief commander in several nations' armies. * Chief of Army (Australia ...

General Deepak Kapoor, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Suresh Mehta and Chief of the Air Staff

Fali Homi Major Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major, PVSM, AVSM, SC, VM, ADC served as the 21st Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force, taking office on 1 April 2007, and becoming the first helicopter pilot in the service to be promoted to the office ...

. Brigadier Mehta's wife was also working in Afghanistan for empowerment of women during his stay there. Brigadier Mehta has a son who was then serving in 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 ...

as a fighter pilot.

Kirti Chakra Citation

The Kirti Chakra citation on the Official Indian Army Website reads as follows:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehta, Ravi Datt 1955 births 2008 deaths Indian Army officers Indian expatriates in Afghanistan Recipients of the Kirti Chakra Indian military attachés People from Shimla Indian people murdered abroad