Ramaswamy Parameshwaran

Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran, was born on 13 September 1946, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. He was granted Short Service Commission in the Mahar Regiment on 16 January 1972. He took part in a number of operations undertaken by the Indian Army and was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military decoration, for his bravery.

Military Action
On 25 November 1987, when Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran was returning from search operation in Sri Lanka, late at night, his column was ambushed by a group of militants. With a cool presence of mind, he encircled the militants from the rear and charged into them, taking them completely surprise. During the hand-to-hand combat, a militant shot him in the chest. Undaunted, Major Parameswaran snatched the rifle from the militant and shot him dead. Gravely wounded, he continued to give orders and inspired his command till he breathed his last. Five militants were killed and three rifles and two rocket launchers were recovered and the ambush was cleared.

Citation
The citation for the Param Vir Chakra awarded to him reads:

MAJOR RAMASWAMY PARAMESWARAN 8 MAHAR REGIMENT (IC-32907) ''On 25 November 1987, when Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran was returning from search operation in  Sri Lanka, late at night, his column was ambushed by a group of militants. With cool presence of mind, he encircled the militants from the rear and charged into them, taking them completely surprise. During the hand-to-hand combat, a militant shot him in the chest. Undaunted, Major Parameswaran snatched the rifle from the militant and shot him dead. Gravely wounded, he continued to give orders and inspired his command till he breathed his last. Five militants were killed and three rifles and two rocket launchers were recovered and the ambush was cleared .''

Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran displayed the most conspicuous gallantry and thought nothing of dying at his post.

IPKF Memorial Error
On 15 August 2012, R.K. Radhakrishnan, Colombo correspondent of The Hindu reported a glaring error on the IPKF transcription :

"The inscription read: IC 32907F MAJ. P.RAMASWAMY M.Vr.C 25 NOV 1987 8 MAHAR. M.Vr.C stands for Maha Vir Chakra, India’s second highest military decoration. No one seemed to have noticed the mistake before. As I stood there, it crossed my mind that there was no guarantee that the names and honours of the other 1200 soldiers inscribed on the stone were all correct. Since Independence, only 21 Indians have had the honour of having P.Vr.C suffixed to their names. Parameshwaran was the only IPKF soldier who was given that honour. He is also the lone Mahar Regiment soldier to be conferred the P.Vr.C, the highest military decoration of India. That must mean a lot to a regiment active since 1941."