Flight Lieutenant Satish Purshottam Aparajit was a member of the successful TransHimalayan Motor Expedition. The expedition drove through frozen wastes, ravine deserts at high altitude and over 15 mountain passes facing hostile winds lashing against the rocky terrain in sub-zero temperatures, avalanches and storms. On the 28th February, 1984, one of the vehicles of the expedition met with an accident and fell down a cliff of over 1,000 metres. Flt Lt Aparajit descended for rescue by using rappelling rope down a vertical rock face into the ravine covered with thick undergrowth to carry out search for the casualties. He was able to find one of the members who had suffered multiple fractures. After having given him mouth to mouth respiration, he quickly brought a doctor to him for rendering medical aid. Thereafter he brought up the wounded member of the team on his back most of the way. When he was climbing the last vertical rock, the anchor of the rope gave way and he slipped more than 100 feet but was lucky to survive. He held on to the wounded member of his team with great determination and brought him safely to the road head.

Flight Lieutenant Satish Purshottam Aparajit thus displayed indomitable courage, team spirit and sense of selfless service.

On the 25th September, 1984, Pilot Officer Radha Krishna Balabhadra was authorised to carry out his fourth sortie on MiG aircraft. During the course of the flight at an altitude of 10 Kms., the canopy perspex of the aircraft shattered and as a result raining glass and plastic fragments fell on him. The aircraft was left with only jagged remnants of the canopy on the left side. The tremendous air blast made it extremely difficult and hazardous for the Officer to even open his eyes and look ahead. Simultaneously he also experienced the accompanied shock of explosive decompression. Pilot Officer Balabhadra, with negligible experience on such aircraft exhibiting great alertness, confidence and coolness descended rapidly, selecting the Identification friend or foe on to emergency, and carried out a safe landing having catered for the extra speed and power required due to the damaged state of the aircraft.

Pilot Officer Radha Krishna Balabhadra thus displayed courage, confidence, presence of mind and a high sense of flying skill.

On the 8th Sept. 1984, Flight Cadet Mohinder Jeet Singh Bains, who was undergoing Advance stage training at an Air Force Training Institution, was authorised to fly a Low Level Navigation sortie with a chase pilot. Just after take off, he experienced an engine flame-out. Facing the most critical emergency in a single engine jet aircraft. Flt Cdt Mohinder Jeet Singh Bains, inspite of his very limited experience as a trainee pilot, was calm. He turned the stricken aircraft away from heavily populated areas to head for a lake in order to avoid loss of lives on the ground and damage to civilians property. Thereafter, following the drills he had been taught, he jettisoned the canopy and put the aircraft smoothly down, wheels up, on the edge of the lake. The aircraft skimmed along the water and slowed down about three hundred meters into the lake, then nosed into settle wings level on the bottom, twenty feet down. Underwater, Flt Cdt Bains unstrapped himself from his seat and his parachute, disconnected his oxygen tube and came out of the cockpit. But immediately he got entangled in the weeds in the lake. Though weighed down by his boots and overalls, he made a tremendous effort and almost reached the surface but the weeds pulled him down. He attempted to remove his boots and by the time he unlaced one, he had suffocated and drowned.

Flight Cadet Mohinder Jeet Singh Bains thus displayed cool courage, presence of mind and a high sense of responsibility.

On the 1st November, 1984, Warrant Officer Sharma, who was residing in Palam Colony area, sheltered 12 members of minority community in his house to save their lives from the rioteers. In doing this, Warrant Officer Sharma risked the lives of his own family members as the rioteers got some hint that the minority community members were hiding in his house. They surrounded the house and threatened Warrant Officer Sharma with dire consequences if he did not hand over the people sheltered by him. Warrant Officer Sharma maintaining calm, tried to convince these miscreants that his house did not shelter any body. Not fully satisfied, the rioteers continued to keep watch on his house and his activities. On the night of 2nd November, 1984, Warrant Officer Sharma found an opportunity and evacuated first batch of six members of one family sheltering in his house. However before the second lot of 6 people could be moved to safety, the rioteers once again surrounded the house. Warrant Officer Sharma putting his own life at serious risk, argued with the rioteers and did not allow them to enter his house. His house remained surrounded by miscreants for 48 hours and he himself remained outside keeping their attention diverted. After two days, the family of 6 members was evacuated.

Warrant Officer Harkanwal Krishan Sharma thus displayed exemplary courage and presence of mind in extremely adverse circumstances at grave risk to his own life and lives of his family members.