Ikkis: Real-life story of Arun Khetarpal who was martyred at 21, a day before ceasefire; flouted orders to fight till last breath

Agastya Nanda in a still from Ikkis. (Photo: Maddock Films/YouTube)

ALSO READ | Dhurandhar: Real-life Rehman Dakait killed mother at 15, was Lyari’s ‘king’ at 21, this is what happened after his encounter

Arun was keen to fight for his country and passionately offered his services. In a chat with News 9 Live, his brother, Mukesh Khetarpal shared that on the day that Arun died, 9 Indian tanks were surrounded by 25 Pakistani tanks. “His tank was responsible for taking out 8-9 tanks,” he recalled. Towards the end, Arun’s tank had caught fire as another officer’s gun had a mechanical failure. At this point, Arun was asked to abandon his tank but he simply refused.

“Arun said, ‘No sir, my gun is still firing’. He switched his intercom off after that otherwise, it would have been disobedience of order, and he kept firing,” Mukesh recalled. Arun was ultimately killed by the enemy tank on December 16, 1971, months after he had finished his military training.

Ceasefire declared a day after Arun Khetarpal’s death

The next day, on December 17, 1971, a ceasefire was declared by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In an earlier chat with The Times of India, Mukesh shared that they were glued to Radio Ceylon for updates on the war as they knew that Arun’s regiment was around the same area. So, on the day, when they heard the news of ceasefire, they breathed a sigh of relief. The family was yet to find out about Arun’s death at that point.

President VV Giri presented Param Vir Chakra to Maheshwari Khetarpal, mother of 2/Lt. Arun Khetarpal at a Special Investiture Ceremony at the Vijay Chowk in New Delhi. (Photo: Express Archives)

“My mother got Arun’s room cleaned up and we started looking forward to the day he would be back home,” he said. But, two days later, on December 19, they got a telegram informing them that Arun had passed away in the war. “That telegram shattered our lives forever,” he said and added that after that day, a “sadness seeped into our lives.”

Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal honoured with Param Vir Chakra

Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal was the second martyr from 17 Poona Horse to be honoured with the Param Vir Chakra after Lieutenant Colonel Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore. On the day of his induction at 17 Poona Horse, Arun raised a toast in Tarapore’s memory, and he then raised a second toast predicting that he, too, would get another Param Vir Chakra for 17 Poona Horse.

Mukesh, in the same chat, recalled that their mother Maheshwari Khetarpal, collected Arun’s Param Vir Chakra during the Republic Day parade but at that time, the family was numb with the shock of his death. “We were so numb with what had happened that the Param Vir Chakra was secondary to us,” he said. Arun became the youngest recipient of the honour in India.

Late Second Lietenant Arun Khetarpal, PVC, statue at Chandimandir Military Station. (Photo: Express Archives)

‘Arun was a kind, considerate man’

Mukesh recalled that Arun, right from his childhood, was a kind and considerate person. He shared that Arun was just one year older than him and as kids, they were once given comfortable, cozy Kashmiri sweaters by their father. But somehow, Arun lost his sweater on the same day. Years later, when Mukesh was studying at IIT Delhi, he once stepped out to get some tea at a dhaba just outside the campus. Here, the man working at the dhaba refused to take any money from him because he was Arun Khetarpal’s brother.

Mukesh shared that two decades ago, Arun had met that man as a young boy in Shillong, and handed over his Kashmiri sweater to him for he was feeking cold. “He said my father worked there. He was a peon. It was cold that day, I had high fever, and I was crying. I did not have any warm clothes. And Arun just took off the sweater he was wearing and gave it to me,” he recalled and added, “Arun never said a word of this to my mother despite my mother being very angry at him. I uncovered this story 22 years later.”

Ikkis is based on Arun Khetarpal’s life.