Major Suresh Suri was an officer of the Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army who served on deputation with 13 Rashtriya Rifles in Jammu & Kashmir. He hailed from Hyderabad and was the son of S. V. Subba Rao, a former Indian Air Force corporal, and S. Girija. Suresh Suri was the eldest of three siblings.
He joined the National Defence Academy in 1999 and was commissioned into the Indian Army in 2001. He initially served with the 6th Battalion of the Kumaon Regiment and later served in Jammu & Kashmir. In 2007, he was deputed to 13 Rashtriya Rifles, a Rashtriya Rifles unit conducting counter-insurgency operations in the Kashmir Valley.
On 22 September 2009, intelligence was received regarding the presence of terrorists in a suspected house in the Bandipora area of Jammu & Kashmir. Major Suresh Suri was part of the inner cordon established around the house. After assessing the situation, he entered the house with three other ranks to search for the terrorist hideout.
On the second floor, Major Suri noticed suspicious loose wooden planks on the roof where the hideout was believed to be located. He climbed onto the roof with his buddy in an attempt to achieve surprise. The team was immediately engaged by heavy fire from the terrorists and Major Suri and his buddy were seriously injured.
Despite being wounded, Major Suri retaliated with his AK-47 and threw a hand grenade, killing one terrorist and injuring another. The surviving terrorist took cover inside the hideout and opened indiscriminate fire, injuring other members of the search party.
Major Suri continued to engage the terrorists while directing the safe evacuation of his injured comrades. During the continuing firefight, he suffered further grievous injuries and subsequently succumbed to his wounds.
Major Suresh Suri made the supreme sacrifice on 22 September 2009. In recognition of his conspicuous gallantry, leadership and selfless actions during the operation, he was awarded the Kirti Chakra posthumously by the Government of India.
He was cremated with full military honours in Hyderabad. He was survived by his wife, Pallavi, whom he had married in 2008.