Naib Subedar Chunni Lal of 8 JAK LI killed three infiltrators in the Kupwara sector on 24 June 2007. He also held the Vir Chakra and Sena Medal.
Ambush in the Kupwara sector
On 24 June 2007, on information about a likely infiltration in the Kupwara sector, Naib Subedar Chunni Lal of 8 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry moved his ambushes to block every escape route. He led from the front and killed three infiltrators himself. His small team killed the others. He died in the action.
Two earlier decorations
He was already twice decorated. As a sepoy he took part in the capture of Bana Top, at 21,153 feet on the Siachen Glacier, for which he received the Sena Medal. Official releases differ on the year: one says 1985 and another 1987. He received the Vir Chakra for helping beat back an attempted intrusion in the Poonch sector in 1999. A January 2008 release says 12 intruders were killed in that action.
He served twice as a United Nations peacekeeper, in Somalia in 1992 and in Sudan in 2006, where he was at the forefront during the Malakal crisis, for which the battalion received a United Nations Unit Citation. He was born at Bhaderwah in 1968. Official releases spell his name both Chunni and Chuni. His wife, named as Chintha Devi by the Press Information Bureau, received his Ashoka Chakra on 26 January 2008.
Official text from the Press Information Bureau
Naib Subedar Chunni Lal who belonged to Bhaderwah (J&K) killed three terrorists on 24 June, 2007 before laying down his life in countering an infiltration bid by terrorists in Kupwara sector of J&K. This courageous junior commissioned officer was decorated twice for bravery on earlier occasions. As a young soldier he had taken part in the capture of Bana Top in Siachen Glacier in 1987 for which he was awarded a Sena Medal. He was also awarded Vir Chakra for beating back an attempted intrusion in Poonch sector in 1999.
Source: Press Information Bureau release. Reproduced as printed, including any errors in the original.