Manish Pitambare

Manish Pitambare was a paratrooper from the Special Forces of the Indian Army who posthumously received the Kirti Chakra, India's second-highest peace-time gallantry decoration.

Biography
After obtaining his Secondary School Certificate with almost 90% marks, Pitambare joined the Armed Forces after his SSC. He went on to join the National Defence Academy in Pune, and IMA After completing the training he joined the Army in 1996. He was made a Major before the age of 31.

He married his wife (Mughda) in 2003 and the couple had a daughter Yukta in 2005.

He was part of the team that tracked down Al-Badr militant Toufik Akmal, wanted for his suspected links to the 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings.

He was killed following a night-long gun battle in south Kashmir's Bejibehara town on 27 November 2006, when he was a member of the 3 Para Regiment. During the battle, Pitambare shot dead Suhail Faizal, one of Hizbul Mujahideen’s top commanders in Kashmir.

In January 2007, Pitambare was posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra, India's second-highest Peace-Time Gallantry Award.