Lance Naik Gyanendra Kumar Rai, 1/11 Gorkha Rifles—the “Bravest of the Brave” battalion that gave India legends like Capt Manoj Pandey (PVC) and Lt Puneet Datt (AC)— was no stranger to danger. In fact, he had served as Capt Pandey’s radio operator during the fierce link-cutting action at Point 5203 in June 1999.
But nothing could compare to #Khalubar Ridge, 3 July 1999. Ordered to cripple the enemy’s nerve centre, 24-year-old L/Nk Rai crawled alone to within 40 metres of Pakistani bunkers held by Pakistan’s 5 NLI. Armed with 350 rounds, two grenades, and his khukri, he slashed through their field cables cutting off communication, and then stormed in.
INSAS firing. Grenades thundering. 8 enemy soldiers fell. Then a burst of MMG ripped through his neck and spine; shrapnel smashed his arm. Captured and tortured, L/Nk Rai was tied, kicked downhill, and marked for a #POW march into PoK. Bleeding, he begged for a bullet—death over dishonour. But a Pakistani major halted the execution.
Fate intervened—a sudden Bofors barrage shattered the silence, and a blinding whiteout snowstorm cloaked the mountains. Bleeding and half-paralysed, L/Nk Rai rolled 40 metres down a snow chute. Then, through pitch-dark, freezing terrain, he clawed and crawled for 5 relentless hours—hungry, wounded, alone—until he finally staggered back into Indian lines at 17,000 feet. A stunned soldier whispered, “Dead men don’t return,” as L/Nk Rai collapsed, blood in his mouth. He was immediately evacuated for urgent medical care.
He became one of the rare few to escape alive from Pakistani hands—within Indian territory. And his solo assault had bought vital time. Khalubar fell the very next night.
Some warriors don’t just survive battle—they outrun death itself. Because the bond of regiment and duty can make a man bleed, fight, escape, and rise again—until victory is carved into the ridgeline.
Lance Naik Rai retired in 2017 as an Honorary Captain, after frontline service in Sri Lanka (IPKF), Manipur, Kargil, and Kupwara. His left arm remains a silent relic of war, forever disabled. Today, he lives with 80% disability, a Vir Chakra on his chest, and a khukri that still gleams with memory and pride.
The son of a British Indian Army veteran who fought the Japanese in WWII, Hony Capt Rai now lives in Bagdogra, Siliguri with his wife, Laxmi Devi, and children, Divya and Dipen.
Pic credits: Vikram Jit Singh