Suresh Chand Yadav was born on 1 June 1961 in Khetan Khera village, Alwar district, Rajasthan. He served in the Mahar Regiment of the Indian Army and subsequently joined the 51 Special Action Group of the National Security Guard. His service number was JC-568162M.
He joined 51 SAG NSG on 30 December 2001 and served as an Assistant Commander-I.
On 24 September 2002, two armed terrorists attacked the Akshardham Swaminarayan Temple in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The attack resulted in deaths and injuries among people inside the complex, after which the NSG was tasked with conducting the counter-terrorist intervention.
During Operation Vajra Shakti, AC-I Suresh Chand Yadav led a group of commandos whose role was to engage and distract the terrorists and provide cover for other NSG teams moving towards their positions.
When a commando in his team was shot, Yadav moved forward under heavy fire and evacuated him to safety. He then moved towards his Team Commander, who was also pinned down by terrorist fire, and provided covering fire to enable the commander to extricate himself.
Yadav subsequently engaged the terrorists with grenades and firearm. While closing in on their position, he received a burst of fire directly to his face. Despite being critically wounded and bleeding heavily, he continued the assault and killed one terrorist at close quarters.
He succumbed to his injuries during the operation on 25 September 2002 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. For his exceptional courage and supreme sacrifice, he was awarded the Ashoka Chakra posthumously.