A forward post manned by Indian soldiers came under heavy fire in Feb 1948 during the Jammu and Kashmir operations.

Eventually only two men were left to hold the position. As they braced themselves for the enemy's final charge, Major Malkait Singh Brar of the 1 (Para) Kumaon Regiment, came running to their aid. He did not stop when he reached the post but carried on, firing at the enemy from his bren gun. The enemy caught by surprise was forced to shelter behind rocks. Then the major, though , wounded himself, supervised the evacuation of the wounded soldiers from the forward post. He had just finished doing this when a mortar bomb exploded close to him dealing him a mortal blow.

Major Brar was awarded the Mahavir Chakra for exceptional gallantry, posthumously.