Naik Tek Bahadur Chhetri was born on 11 November 1935 in Chandrakot village of Gulmi, Nepal. He came from a military family, as his father, Naik Bhim Bahadur Chhetri, had also served in the Indian Army. Tek Bahadur Chhetri joined the 1st Battalion of Assam Rifles on 11 November 1952 and spent his military career serving in the force's operational areas.
During the late 1960s, Assam Rifles units were conducting operations in the Mizo Hills against armed insurgents. On 29 September 1968, Chhetri's unit was assigned a search mission in an area near a village where information indicated that armed hostiles were hiding. As the patrol approached the area, Chhetri noticed a group of five armed men at relatively close range.
Understanding that any delay could give the group an opportunity to disappear, Chhetri took immediate action. He advanced towards them with his Sten gun and succeeded in wounding two of the men. His weapon then stopped functioning. Instead of breaking contact, he moved directly towards one of the armed men and engaged him physically, managing to take possession of the man's rifle.
Before he could continue the fight with the captured weapon, another hostile fired at him and struck him in the chest. Chhetri died at the spot on 29 September 1968. His final action reflected exceptional courage in the face of a numerically superior armed group. In recognition of his conduct during the encounter, Naik Tek Bahadur Chhetri was awarded the **Kirti Chakra posthumously**.