Arun Khetarpal
Army Personnel

Indian Pune, Bombay State (now Maharashtra), India

Quick Info

Profession	Army Personnel
Nationality	Indian
Date of Birth	14/10/1950
Age	21 years (died on 16, Dec, 1971)
Birthplace	Pune, Bombay State (now Maharashtra), India
Marital Status	Unmarried
Place of Death	Barapind, Shakargarh Sector
Death Cause	Killed in action during the Battle of Basantar
Zodiac sign	Libra
Hometown	Pune, Maharashtra, India
School	The Lawrence School, Sanawar
College/University	National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla Indian Military Academy, Dehradun
Address	C-31, Anand Niketan, New Delhi, Delhi – 110021, India
Date of Death	16/12/1971

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Family

Father	M. L. Khetarpal (a retired Brigadier)
Mother	Maheshwari Khetarpal (a trained dietician)
Siblings	Brother - Mukesh Khetarpal (working as a management consultant in Delhi)

Career

Profession

Famous For

Battle of Basantar (Indo-Pakistan War of 1971)

Military Service

Service/Branch	Indian Army
Rank	Second Lieutenant
Service Years	1971
Unit	17 Poona Horse (Armoured Corps)
Service Number	IC-25067
Career Ranks	Second Lieutenant (13 June 1971)

Awards, Honours, Achievements

The Param Vir Chakra
Parade ground at NDA has been named after him
A stadium has been named after him at his school, The Lawrence School Sanawar
The Param Vir Chakra (Posthumous)

Favourites

Bike Collection	He owned a Jawa manufactured by Jawa Moto

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal received the Param Vir Chakra for his bravery during the Battle of Basantar in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War.
2. Arun Khetarpal was a student and athlete at Lawrence School, Sanawar.
3. He came from a family with a military background, and his father also served in the Indian Army.
4. After excelling at the National Defence Academy, Arun joined the Indian Military Academy in 1970.
5. During the Battle of Basantar, Arun led the assault against Pakistani tanks, destroying 10 of them despite being severely wounded.
6. He refused to abandon his tank, named Famagusta, during the battle.
7. Arun Khetarpal's tank was the last one operational in his squadron.
8. His heroic actions prevented a breakthrough by Pakistani forces, as acknowledged even by a retired Pakistan Army officer.
9. Arun had a passion for music and played the saxophone in the NDA band.
10. A biographical film titled 'Ekkis' reportedly featuring Arun Khetarpal's story is expected to be made in 2024.

Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error

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