Captain Harshan R of 2 Para (Special Forces) fought at a cordon in the Lolab valley on 20 March 2007 and died of his wounds.
A cordon at Chhoti Margi, Lolab
In snowfall on 20 March 2007, Captain Harshan R of 2 Para (Special Forces) took his troops to Chhoti Margi in the Lolab valley, north Kashmir, and placed a cordon round a house before morning. He had been tracking militants in the valley for more than two months. In the darkness, four men broke out firing and came face to face with him.
Two Press Information Bureau releases describe what followed differently. The release of August 2007 says he killed one man, was shot in the thigh, killed a second, and was then shot in the neck. The release of January 2008 says he killed one, was shot in the neck and fell, kept firing and wounded another, and that his colleagues killed the remaining two. Both agree he died of his wounds.
Manacaud to Special Forces
He was born on 15 April 1980 at Manacaud, Thiruvananthapuram. He studied at Sainik School, Kazhakootam, and the National Defence Academy before the Indian Military Academy. He volunteered for Special Forces and was commissioned into 2 Para in December 2002. Earlier in March 2007, according to the second release, he had killed two militants in a separate operation. His father, K. Radhakrishnan Nair, received the Ashoka Chakra from President Pratibha Patil on 26 January 2008.
Official text from the Press Information Bureau
Capt. Harshan R killed two hardcore terrorists at very close range in Lolab (North Kashmir) on 20 March, 2007. For over two months preceding the operation, this gallant officer had been relentlessly tracking foreign terrorists. The officer first killed one terrorist but was injured due to a gunshot wound on his thigh in this action. Unmindful of this injury he went on to kill another terrorist. In the process he received another gunshot, this time on his neck. He later succumbed to his wounds.
Source: Press Information Bureau release. Reproduced as printed, including any errors in the original.