Havaldar K. Palani was born on 3 June 1980 and hailed from Kadukkaloor village in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. His parents came from a humble family of farmers. An active sportsman during his school days, Palani always aspired to join the armed forces.
After his schooling, Palani joined the Army at age 18, on 29 April 1999 and was enlisted in 81 Medium Regiment, Artillery. He later completed his graduation while is service through distance education. He got married to Vanathi Devi and had a son and daughter. He served in various operational areas under challenging work conditions. His family had moved into their own house in Kazhugoorani (Ramanathapuram district) in June 2020, just few days before his martyrdom. Sadly, Palani did not get to live there.
In June 2020, Hav. K Palani’s unit was deployed in eastern Ladakh close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as part of Operation Snow Leopard. Since early June the tension along the LAC was mounting due to construction work in Galwan valley.
The Chinese objected to the construction of a bridge across the Galwan river into the Aksai Chin area. The area held strategic importance for India and China as it dominated the road from Leh to Daulat Beg Oldie, an airstrip of great military significance to India. There had been many rounds of talks between senior military officials from both sides to defuse the tensions.
On 15/16 June 2020 night, hectic Chinese activities were noticed across the bridge in Galwan valley. Considering the gravity of the situation, Colonel Santosh Babu the Commanding Officer of 16 Bihar battalion deployed in the area decided to lead the negotiations. On the night of 15 June 2020, Havildar K Palani was part of a joint patrol near LAC.
The Indian Army decided to take up the matter with Chinese forces to ask them to respect the LAC and adhere to the position as agreed earlier during the talks. However, an altercation led to a scuffle which turned into a violent clash with the Chinese soldiers attacking Col. Santosh Babu and his men with deadly clubs and rods. The Chinese attack seemed preplanned.
As the clashes escalated, Hav K Palani, who fought valiantly, was outnumbered and circled. He, however, stood his ground and defended his comrades bravely.
Havildar Palani was given the gallantry award, ‘Vir Chakra’ on 26 January 2021 for his exceptional courage, devotion to duty and supreme sacrifice. He is survived by his parents, wife, son Prasanna and daughter Divya. His younger brother, Idayakani also serves in the Indian Army.
Major (Retd) Madhan Kumar, a geopolitical analyst and co-founder of Armour of Care, an NGO, said: ”Havildar Palani had a choice to stay back as he was due to retire. But he chose to join his colonel in resisting China’s attempt to occupy our territory.”
The mortal remains of the slain soldier were laid to rest with State honours at his native village on 18 June 2020. As a token of gratitude for his supreme sacrifice, Governor Banwarilal Purohit handed a solatium of Rs 20 lakhs to the widow. Additionally, the Tamil Nadu government awarded a solatium of Rs 20 lakhs to Palani’s widow in the same month.
To honour his sacrifice, his bronze bust was later unveiled at the Allahabad cantonment in Uttar Pradesh. The newly-built in-campus quarters for the jawans of his regiment has been named ‘Palani Block’.
Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami handed over the appointment letter for a government job to Vanathi Devi. She works as a clerk in a college located in Ramanathapuram district. His son Prasanna, expressed his desire to follow the martyr’s footsteps and join the Indian Army.