Lt General R. S. Dyal (MVC)  IC-4004 - Maha Vir Chakra

Lt General R. S. Dyal was born on 15th November, 1928. His father was Sardar Bahadur Risaldar Ram Singh Dyal who had settled in the village Tukar Bodhni, Kurukshetra district,  Haryana. Lt Gen Dyal graduated in 1942 and after four years was selected for Indian Military Academy. He was commissioned in the Indian Army in Punjab Regiment (Para) and assigned to 1st Battalion. This battalion was part of 50 Independent Parachute Brigade during the 1948 Indo-Pak War. He was posted as instructor at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun (Uttaranchal) in 1956. Later he was selected to serve with the United Nations (UN) Emergency force, Gaza (Egypt) to supervise the withdrawal of Israeli forces. He returned with the Battalion and served in the NEFA Sector from 1959 to 1962. On successful completion of Defence Services Staff College, he was posted as Brigade Major to the 50 Independent Para Brigade. After his staff tenure, he joined his Battalion, 1 Para, as second in command in the Uri Sector of Jammu & Kashmir. Later he commanded 1 Para from 1965 to 1968 in Jammu & Kashmir and again as part of 50 Independent Para Brigade at Agra, (Uttar Pradesh).

1965 India-Pakistan War: On the night of the 25/26th August, 1965, Major Ranjit Singh Dyal led an assault on Sank in Jammu & Kashmir, which was stalled by heavy enemy fire. Acting with courage and determination, Major Dayal managed to extricate his company intact and on the following night managed to capture Sank. He pursued the fleeing Pakistanis and captured Ledwali Gali by 1100 hours on 27th August, 1965. Thereafter, marching at night through very difficult terrain, he took the enemy by surprise and at 1100 hours, 28th August captured the Haji Pir Pass. In this operation, one Pakistani officer and 11 soldiers were taken prisoners. On the following morning, Major Dyal deployed a platoon to capture yet another feature. When this platoon came under enemy fire, he launched an lightening attack with his two platoons as a result of which the enemy fled in utter confusion.

Throughout this operation, Major R. S. Dyal displayed outstanding leadership and courage in the best tradition of the Indian Army. On 28th August 1965, Major Ranjit Singh Dyal was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC), the second highest bravery award in the Indian Army. He went on to serve the Army with distinction, and rose to the rank of Lieutenant General before retiring.