Tasked with the first foothold
Adhikari was commissioned into the Indian Army in December 1993 and was posted to 18 Grenadiers by the time the Kargil War broke out. On 30 May 1999, as part of a battalion operation to capture the Tololing feature, he was tasked with securing the initial foothold by taking its forward spur, held by a strong, entrenched enemy position at roughly 15,000 feet.
Wounded, and refusing to fall back
As he led his company toward the objective, Adhikari came under fire from two mutually supporting enemy positions armed with machine guns. He directed his rocket launcher detachment to engage one position and personally killed two enemy soldiers in close-quarter combat. Positioning his medium machine gun detachment behind cover, he kept his assault party advancing under fire. He was then hit, sustaining grievous bullet injuries — but refused evacuation, telling his men it would cost six soldiers to carry him out at a moment they could least afford it.
The bunker that opened the hill
Still directing his sub-unit despite his wounds, Adhikari charged a second bunker and killed another occupant, capturing it. That position later facilitated the capture of Point 4590. He succumbed to his injuries in the action. For his conspicuous gallantry and leadership, he was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra — India's second-highest wartime gallantry decoration. His body could not be recovered for nearly two weeks; Indian forces made repeated attempts between 2 and 11 June before it was retrieved.
