The participation of Mahars gave the British the advantage in the Third Anglo-Maratha War  in 1818. Koregaon weas successfully defended by a small force of 500 under the command of Capt F F Staunton who fought without rest or respite, food or water, for twelve hours against a large force of 20,000 horses and 8,000 infantry of Peshwa Baji Rao II threatening the British garrisons at Kirkee and Poona. The action was commemorated by a monument erected at the site of the battle and by a medal issued in 1851. The monument carries the names of twentytwo Mahars killed in the battle. This tradition of gallantry continued as the braves of the Mahar Regiment left no opportunity unused to prove their mettle.

Maj Ramaswamy Parameswaran was the company commander of ‘A’ Company, 8th Battalion of the Mahar Regiment during ‘Operation Pawan’ in Sri Lanka. He gallantly led his troops to annihilate the insurgents, when caught in an ambush by the LTTE, on November 25, 1987. Three
armed militants attacked him simultaneously. In the hand-to-hand fight which ensued, Maj Parameswaran was hit in the chest by a rifle bullet. He did not give up. He snatched the rifle from the insurgent, shot him and the other two dead. Despite his fatal wound, he coaxed and inspired his men and successfully cleared the ambush.

The officer thus displayed outstanding courage and exemplary leadership with utter disregard to his personal safety. His supreme sacrifice led to the capture of many insurgents and substantial quantity of arms and ammunition. His daring conduct was an example to his men. For this gallant act extending beyond the call of duty, Maj Ramaswamy Parameswaran was awarded Param Vir Chakra posthumously on the Republic Day in 1988. He has been the first recipient of PVC in independent India and the only recipient of this gallantry award for the regiment.

Nk Krishna Sonawane of 1 Mahar was in command of No 7 piquet in Naushera during J&K operation. On February 6, 1948 the post was subjected to heavy artillery fire and was attacked by 1200 Pakistani raiders from all sides. Nk Sonawane maintained his cool and effected heavy  casualties on the enemy  by operating  the machinegun himself. A volley of bullets perforated his right hand but he continued operating the gun with his left hand. The NCO, though seriously wounded, displayed total disregard to his personal safety and maintained the momentum of fire at a critical stage when the fate of the post was in balance. The attack was beaten back with heavy casualties to the enemy.  Nk Sonawane displayed personal courage, determination, coolness and devotion to duty of a high order. He was awarded Maha Vir Chakra.

Lt Col Gurubans Singh Sangha was commanding 3rd battalion of the Mahar Regiment during the 1965 Indo-Pak war. On August 15, he maintained his battalion front intact throughout the day in spite of heavy shelling and, holding the Mandiala crossing, he stabilised the situation. Subsequently, he directed his battalion with courage and confidence and re-captured three forward posts in the face of stubborn enemy resistance. Again on September 1, when his battalion was cut off from the brigade by enemy’s heavy armour thrust, he gave strong resistance and foiled the enemy’s attempt to encircle and destroy his force. Throughout this operation, Lt Col Sangha displayed commendable courage and leadership in the best traditions of the Indian Army. He was awarded Maha Vir Chakra.

Sep Anusuya Prasad joined 10 Mahar on November 20, 1971. On November 24, 1971 his battalion was given the task of capturing a well-fortified enemy position. During the attack, the assaulting troops were held up by heavy automatic fire of enemy. Sep Anusuya Prasad volunteered for the single-man suicide squad mission to neutralise the enemy machinegun. Taking a few phosphorous grenades, he stealthily but bravely crawled towards the position. During the process, he was shot in both the legs. He kept crawling forward and received another machinegun burst. Undeterred by his wounds and bleeding profusely, he crawled up to the enemy position and neutralised it before succumbing to his wounds. Sep Anusuya Prasad, despite his young age, displayed outstanding courage in utter disregard to his personal safety before making the supreme sacrifice. He was awarded Maha Vir Chakra posthumously.