Naik (corporal) Agansing Rai was awarded the Victoria Cross for his heroic capture of two Japanese positions, ‘Mortar Bluff’ and ‘Water Piquet’ at Bishenpur, Burma, on 26 June 1944. The Japanese had succeeded in cutting off the communications and supply route of the 17th Indian Division by holding these two key positions. Rai led an attack to take them and, under heavy fire, he overran the first position. He then knocked out a 37mm machine-gun post in the jungle, before launching an attack on the second position. In the course of the action, the rifleman killed a number of the enemy and his fearlessness so demoralised the Japanese force that they withdrew.