Naik Bhawani Datt Joshi of the Garhwal Rifles volunteered to lead his section at Amritsar on 5/6 June 1984 and was mortally wounded.
The Blocked Gate
On the night of 5/6 June 1984, during Operation Blue Star at Amritsar, Naik Bhawani Datt Joshi's company of 9 Garhwal Rifles was tasked with gaining a foothold in a fortified complex of buildings. The gate was blocked and heavily defended.
When a breach was made, fire from inside hit his platoon hard. The commanding officer asked for volunteers. Joshi stepped forward and took his section against the firing positions.
By the account on the Honourpoint memorial site, he killed one militant with his carbine and bayoneted a second. Already injured, he went for a third, who was firing from cover, and was mortally wounded. The company took its objective.
Cheprun Village, Chamoli
Honourpoint gives the date of his death as 6 July 1984 in its header, while its own narrative places the action in June. The narrative date fits the operation and is the one used here.
He was born on 15 July 1952 in Cheprun village, Chamoli, Garhwal, the son of Khyali Datt Joshi, a small farmer, according to that profile. He enrolled in the Garhwal Rifles on 14 July 1970 and earlier served with its 5th battalion.
The Ministry of Defence lists his parents as Khyali Datt and Bachuli Devi, his domicile as Chamoli Garhwal and his service number as 4050561. His Ashoka Chakra dates to Republic Day 1985.
What the citation recorded
Summary, not the official text: the official awards website records only that Naik Bhawani Datt Joshi received a posthumous Ashoka Chakra for an act of gallantry in Punjab. The full citation could not be read at an official source.