Rama Raghoba Rane was born in Chendia, Karwar, Karnataka on 26th June 1918. He got commissioned as an officer in Indian Army on 15th December 1947 in Corps of Engineers.
Second Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane
Rama Raghoba Rane served the country for twenty-one years and later retired in 1968 as Major. During is service he received 5 Mentioned-in-Dispatches. He received Param-Vir-Chakra for his courageous role in the J&K operations during 1947 to 1948.
Jhanger was lost to the enemies during 1947 December. Later Indian army recaptured it on 18th march 1948. In order to protect the local people from the enemy atrocities the Indian army planned to advance from Naushahra to Rajauri. On the ancient mughal route to Kashmir halfway lay Chingas. ON 8th April 1948 4th regiment of Dogra battalion
commenced the advance to Rajauri sector. They attacked and captured the enemy forces at Barwali ridge and drove them out from their well-prepared positions.
Thing became very difficult after Barwali due to the large number of minefields and the roadblocks. There were so many roadblocks that even the armored vehicles could not cross them.
Second Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane’s was in 37 Assault Field Company, which was working in attachment with the 4th regiment of Dogra battalion. ON 8th April during a mine clearing operation 2 soldiers were killed and Second Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane and five others were injured in a mortar fire.
Second Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane
In spite of the his injuries and constant enemy shelling Second Lieutenant Rane and his men completed cleared the field by evening which enabled our tanks to move forward. The road ahead was still not safe, as the enemy was not cleared from the area. Second Lieutenant Rane and his men worked all night to make a safe passage for our tanks. He and his men worked 12 hrs in stretch to remove the roadblocks and land mines. Where ever it was not possible to clear the mines he made a diversion for the tanks to pass through.
Second Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane continued his work under heavy mortar and artillery fire. On 10th April Second Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane got up early and continued his work on roadblocks, which they were not able to clear previous night. This roadblock was a group of five huge pine trees, which were surrounded
with land mines and covered by Intense LMG (light machine gun) fire. He cleared it in 2 hours. The army was able to move 13 km’s that day before encountering another major roadblock.
The enemy pickets perched on the adjoining hills were guarding all approaches to this road-block. 2nd Lieutenant Rane drove to the road block in a tank and crouching under it, blasted the block with mines. He thus opened the road before the end of the night.
On April 11th, he worked for 17 hours to open the road to Chingas and beyond. 2nd Lieutenant Rane made a substantial contribution in facilitating the Indian advance on Rajauri. It cost the enemy about 500 dead and many more wounded. It also helped in saving many innocent lives in Chingas and Rajauri. But for the grim determination and tireless diligence of 2nd Lieutenant Rane, who worked ceaselessly, our column could not have reached Chingas – an important feature which secured for us a vantage position to advance further.
The gallant effort made by 2nd Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane during this critical advance to Rajauri earned him the highest war-time gallantry medal, Param Vir Chakra.
CITATION
SECOND LIEUTENANT RAMA RAGHOBA RANE PVC Citation
