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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Lieutenant Colonel]]
| name = Dewan Ranjit Rai
| honorific_suffix = [[Maha Vir Chakra|MVC]]
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1913|02|06|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Gujranwala]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab Province]] (now [[Punjab, Pakistan]])
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1947|10|27|1913|02|06|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Baramulla]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[Dominion of India]]
| resting_place =
| servicenumber = IC-12
| resting_place_coordinates =
| residence =
| allegiance = {{flag|British Raj}} {{flag|India}}
| branch = {{army|British Raj}} {{army|India}}
| serviceyears = 1935–1947
| rank = [[File:Lieutenant_Colonel_of_the_Indian_Army.svg|20px]] [[Lieutenant Colonel]]
| other_names =
| awards = [[File:Maha_Vir_Chakra_ribbon.svg|30px]] [[Maha Vir Chakra]]
| unit = [[Sikh Regiment|1 Sikh]]
| battles = [[World War II]] [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947]]
| education =
| relations =
}}

[[Lieutenant Colonel]] '''Dewan Ranjit Rai''', [[Maha Vir Chakra|MVC]] (1913 - 1947) was an [[Indian Army]] officer who played a key role during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947]]. As the [[Commanding Officer]] of the 1st battalion, [[Sikh Regiment|The Sikh Regiment]] (1 Sikh), he was the first recipient of the [[Maha Vir Chakra]], which was awarded posthumously.<ref name="D1">{{cite web | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Kashmir-War-heros-family-revels-in-military-tradition/articleshow/24838437.cms | title=Mahavir chakra hero who saved kashmir | publisher=Times of India | date=29 Oct 2013 | accessdate=26 May 2016}}</ref>

1 Sikh was the first unit to be inducted into the war, when it was airlifted from [[Gurgaon]] to [[Srinagar]] on 27 October 1947. This day is celebrated as the ''Infantry Day'' by the [[Indian Army]].
Under the command of Rai, the battalion fought with tremendous spirit and bravery and played a key role in saving the valley of Kashmir from the invaders.

==Early life==

Rai was born in [[Gujranwala]] in a [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] family on 6 February 1913.<ref name="July 1939 Indian Army List">July 1939 Indian Army List</ref> He studied at the [[Bishop Cotton School (Shimla)|Bishop Cotton School]], [[Shimla]].<ref name=D1/> He attended the first course at the [[Indian Military Academy]], [[Dehradun]]. Later, he was among the first Indian officers to be posted to [[Pakistan Command and Staff College|Command and Staff College]], [[Quetta]] as an instructor.

==Military career==

Rai was commissioned on 1 February 1935 with the officer service number IC-12. On commissioning, he was attached for a year to a British Army regiment, the [[King's Shropshire Light Infantry]] stationed in India. He was appointed to the [[British Indian Army]] and posted to the 5th battalion, [[11th Sikh Regiment]] on the 24 February 1936. He was promoted [[Lieutenant]] on 4 May 1936<ref name="July 1939 Indian Army List"/> He was promoted [[Captain (armed forces)|Captain]] on 4 February 1942 and by April 1944, he was serving as a temporary [[Major]] on the Recruiting Staff.<ref>April 1944 Indian Army List</ref> He was selected for posting as a [[Military attaché]] at [[Washington, D.C.]] just before the break out of the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947]], but this assignment was changed when he was selected for this mission to Kashmir.

He was commanding the 1st battalion of the [[Sikh Regiment]] in [[Gurgaon]], making arrangements for refugees, when [[Pakistan]] invaded [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]]. Two companies of his troops were airlifted in 30 [[Douglas DC-3|Dakota]] aircraft, one of which was flown by [[Biju Patnaik]] (later [[List of chief ministers of Odisha|Chief Minister of Odisha]]), to [[Srinagar]]. The Operation's Order was handed over to him by then [[Captain (armed forces)|Captain]] [[Srinivas Kumar Sinha|S K Sinha]], who retired as a [[Lieutenant General (India)|lieutenant general]] and was later [[List of governors of Jammu and Kashmir|Governor of Jammu and Kashmir]].

Rai led his troops to defend the [[Baramulla]]-[[Srinagar]] highway near [[Pattan]] against the numerically superior Pakistani tribal irregulars who were moving towards Srinagar after looting, raping and burning people of all religions in Baramulla.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}} He successfully protected the Srinagar airfield, paving the way for more Indian troops to land who expelled the Pakistani tribal irregulars. He died on 27 October 1947 leading his men and defending Pattan. He was the first officer of the Indian Army after independence to fight a battle on 27 October 1947.

==Maha Vir Chakra==

Lieutenant Colonel Dewan Ranjit Rai was honoured with a [[Maha Vir Chakra]]. He was the first recipient of the award.<ref>{{cite book |title=Stories of heroism |year=1995 |publisher=Allied Publishers |isbn=978-8170235163 |page=283}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Short stories from the history of Indian Army since August 1947 |isbn=978-9382573753 |pages=1–3}}</ref>

The citation for the [[Maha Vir Chakra]] reads as follows:<ref>{{cite web |title=Mahavir Chakra (MVC), Awardee: Lt Col Dewan Ranjit Rai, MVC @ TWDI |url=http://twdi.in/node/1450 |website=twdi.in}}</ref>
{{Quotation|Gazette Notification: 2 Pres 50, 26.1.50
Operation: 1947 Indo Pak Kashmir War
Date of Award: 12 Oct 1947

{{center|'''CITATION''' 
'''LIEUTENANT COLONEL DEWAN RANJIT RAI (POSTHUMOUS)''' 
''' (IC-12) 1 Bn. THE SIKH REGIMENT'''}}

Lieutenant Colonel Dewan Ranjit Rai was the Commanding Officer of 1 Sikh. Immediately on landing at Srinagar, on 27 October 1947, he appreciated that it was imperative to hold and oppose the raiders as far away as possible from the vital city of Srinagar and its adjacent airfield.

As very little time was at his disposal, he personally conducted reconnaissance and operations at such personal risk that he was eventually killed. By his complete disregard of personal danger and his determined and inspired leadership, the raiders were stopped sufficiently far away to enable a build-up for the eventual decisive defeat.

The officer gave his life in a successful endeavour to save Srinagar by displaying courage of the highest order.|sign=|source=}}

==See also==

* [[Harbaksh Singh]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==

* [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Kashmir-War-heros-family-revels-in-military-tradition/articleshow/24838437.cms Man who saved Kashmir]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranjit Rai, Dewan}}
[[Category:1947 deaths]]
[[Category:People of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947]]
[[Category:People from Gujranwala]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Indian Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:British Indian Army officers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Maha Vir Chakra]]
[[Category:Indian military personnel killed in action]]
[[Category:1913 births]]

Dewan Ranjit Rai - Revision history

Bot at 01:47, 26 October 2022