Major Mukund Varadarajan AC (12 April 1983 – 25 April 2014) was an officer in the Rajput Regiment of the Indian Army. In 2014, he was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award, for killing three terrorists in an encounter at the Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. Personal life Major Mukund Varadarajan was born on 12 April 1983 to R.Varadarajan and Geetha. He lived in Chennai, India and had two sisters Swetha and Nithya. Mukund married his longtime girlfriend Indhu Rebecca Varghese on 28 August 2009 . and have a daughter Ashreya born on 17 March 2011. He received his Bachelor of Commerce From Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya at Enathur and a diploma in journalism from the Madras Christian College, Tambaram. His grandfather and two of his uncles also served in the army and this motivated Varadarajan to join the Armed forces. According to his seniors, the officer had a cutting sharp wit and could outwit anyone in the most polite yet strong way. Men from the unit remember how no matter how long or hard Maj. Varadarajan's day had been, he was always up for making others feel special on their birthdays and anniversaries. Personal relationships meant a lot to him according the men and officers of his unit. Army service Mukund was an alumnus of Officers Training Academy, and after graduating, he received a short-service commission as a Lieutenant in the Rajput Regiment (22 Rajput) on 18 March 2006. On 18 March 2011, he was granted a regular commission with the rank of lieutenant, and received an ante-dated promotion to captain from 18 October 2008. He served at the Infantry School in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh and was part of a United Nations Mission in Lebanon. Promoted major on 18 October 2012, Mukund was deputed to the 44th Battalion of the Rashtriya Rifles that December and posted in the Shupiyan district of Jammu and Kashmir. Martyrdom On 25 April 2014, he led an anti-terrorist cordon and search operation based on intelligence inputs to clear a village in South Kashmir of terrorists. During the operation, his team came under heavy fire. The officer responded swiftly, aware of the setting of darkness which could provide an unprecedented advantage and an opportunity to slip away. Since the exact number of civilians present in the house where unknown to him and his men hence, the use of heavy-calibre