New Delhi, Jan. 6: Ek goli, ek dushman is a motto in the army. Naik Bishnu Prasad Shrestha, who is posted in Ranchi, went beyond that on the night of September 2, 2010, to save a few 100 train passengers.

The home ministry today announced the Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak for Shrestha. The award comes with a bank draft of Rs 45,000 and is given through the state government — in this case Jharkhand.

Just retired as a jawan of the 7th Battalion of 8 Gorkha Rifles, Shrestha was travelling in an AC coach of Maurya Express from his base in Ranchi to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. He was bound for his hometown Pokhara in Nepal.

That night, 30-odd armed men boarded the train between Kulti and Chittaranjan stations taking advantage of misty wilderness of the Bengal-Jharkhand border. Shrestha was woken up by screams as they robbed passengers of money, jewellery and valuables.

Thinking it wasn’t his fight, Shrestha at first did not resist. But when the gang attacked an 8-year-old girl and her young mother, he decided enough was enough. Armed with only a khukuri, he went on a stabbing spree, dodging bullets. He was, however, injured when the blade slipped and fell off his hands.

Today, he has recovered and his tenure in the army extended for five years. He has already been rewarded by the railways and the army, and is the recipient of a silver khukuri for his courage.

The 8 Gorkha Rifles has its centre in Shillong. The late Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was from the regiment.