honorific_prefix serviceyears branch death_date death_place birth_place allegiance awards image_size honorific_suffix battles birth_date nickname rank image article_title name alma_mater
colonel 18 june 1971 - 20 dec 1993 24px indian army 1993 nagaland ernakulam , kerala india republic of india 40px ashoka chakra 40px kirti chakra 150px ac insurgency in northeast india 1951 nj 24px colonel col_n . _ j. _ nair.jpg neelakantan jayachandran nair
 neelakantan jayachandran nair national defence academy -lrb- india -rrb-
neelakantan jayachandran nair

colonel neelakantan jayachandran nair -lrb- popularly known as `` nj '' -rrb- was one of the outstanding and decorated officers of the indian army .
nair commissioned into 16 maratha light infantry on 18 june 1971 .
in 1993 , 16 maratha light infantry was deployed in nagaland .
20 dec 1993 while heading an advance party of the battalion , his convoy was ambushed by naga rebels .
col nj nair displayed indomitable courage in leading the attack personally to break the ambush and sacrificed his life defending his men .
for this supreme act of valour , he was conferred the ` ashoka chakra ' .
