He was private or "jawan" of the craftsman rank in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) in the Indian Army. He was disabled during the 1965 war against Pakistan, sustaining severe bullet wounds. Petkar was originally a boxer at EME, Secunderabad. After he was crippled he switched to swimming and other sports. He participated in table tennis at the 1968 Summer Paralympics and cleared the first round. He won four medals in swimming. He was later employed by TELCO in Pune.