CM Samrat Choudhary Pays Tribute to Param Vir Chakra Hero Lt Col Tarapore
Synopsis
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on 18 August 2026 honoured Param Vir Chakra recipient Lt Col A. B. Tarapore on his birth anniversary, saluting the 17 Poona Horse commander who gave his life in the 1965 war's Battle of Phillora.
Key Takeaways
Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary paid tribute to Lt Col A.
Tarapore on his birth anniversary, 18 August 2026 .
Tarapore was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra — India's highest wartime gallantry honour — for his actions in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War .
He commanded the 17 Poona Horse regiment during the Battle of Phillora in the Sialkot sector, destroying multiple enemy tanks while fatally wounded.
He was 28 years old at the time of his death and is among the most celebrated officers of the Parsi community in Indian military history.
CM Choudhary described him as 'an unparalleled example of valour, courage, and patriotism' whose sacrifice 'will forever inspire the nation.'
On the birth anniversary of Lieutenant Colonel Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore, one of India's most decorated war heroes, Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary offered a solemn salute to the Param Vir Chakra awardee on Tuesday, 18 August 2026 — honouring a soldier whose name is synonymous with supreme sacrifice on the battlefield.
Posting in Hindi, CM Choudhary wrote: 'वीरता, शौर्य और राष्ट्रभक्ति की अद्वितीय मिसाल' — 'an unparalleled example of valour, courage, and patriotism' — and added that Tarapore's supreme sacrifice for the motherland 'will forever inspire the people of this nation.'
The soldier who charged when others stopped
Lieutenant Colonel A. B. Tarapore was commanding officer of the 17 Poona Horse regiment during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War. In the Battle of Phillora in the Sialkot sector, he led his tank squadron through ferocious enemy fire across multiple engagements — destroying dozens of enemy tanks even after being severely wounded. He refused evacuation and continued to command until he was fatally hit. He was 28 years old.
For this extraordinary act of courage, Tarapore was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra — India's highest military honour for battlefield gallantry. He remains one of the very few officers of the Parsi community to receive the decoration, and his name is enshrined in regimental history as a benchmark of armoured warfare leadership.
A birth anniversary the nation marks in uniform and in memory
Tarapore's birth anniversary on 18 August is observed each year with tributes from political leaders, veterans, and defence institutions across India. The Poona Horse regiment, based at Ahmednagar, holds him as its most celebrated son. His portrait hangs in the regiment's mess alongside the Param Vir Chakra citation — a daily reminder to serving soldiers of the standard he set.
CM Choudhary's tribute, tagged #ABTarapore, joins a chorus of remembrance from across the political spectrum — a rare moment when partisan lines dissolve entirely in the face of a soldier's legacy.
Sixty-one years after the guns fell silent on the Sialkot plains, Lieutenant Colonel Tarapore's charge endures — not in archives alone, but in the living memory of every regiment that trains to his standard.
Point of View
A senior BJP leader, invoking Tarapore — a Parsi officer who died for a secular republic — subtly reinforces a pluralist strand within nationalist messaging. The annual cycle of such tributes also reflects how social media has institutionalised remembrance, converting personal grief and regimental pride into a shared national ritual. Whether that ritual deepens public understanding of military history or remains largely performative is a question India's defence-literacy advocates continue to press.
NationPress
18 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Lieutenant Colonel A. B. Tarapore?
Lt Col Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore was an Indian Army officer who commanded the 17 Poona Horse regiment during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War. He was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra — India's highest battlefield gallantry honour — for his extraordinary courage in the Battle of Phillora.
Why is 18 August significant for Lt Col Tarapore?
18 August is Lt Col Tarapore's birth anniversary. Each year, political leaders, veterans, and defence institutions across India mark the day with tributes to honour his supreme sacrifice in the 1965 war.
What did Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary say about Lt Col Tarapore?
CM Choudhary described Tarapore as 'an unparalleled example of valour, courage, and patriotism,' and said his supreme sacrifice for the motherland 'will forever inspire the people of this nation.'
What was the Battle of Phillora?
The Battle of Phillora was a key armoured engagement in the Sialkot sector during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War. Lt Col Tarapore led his tank squadron through intense enemy fire, destroying multiple Pakistani tanks while fatally wounded, before succumbing to his injuries.
What is the Param Vir Chakra?
The Param Vir Chakra is India's highest military decoration, awarded for the most conspicuous acts of bravery or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy. Lt Col Tarapore received it posthumously for his actions in the 1965 war.
