In April 1948 at the height of the Jammu and Kashmir Operations, the Indian advance towards Rajauri was held up by several enemy road blocks and mine fields.

But over a period of two days, by the 10th of April, 2nd Lt. Ramaa Raghoba Rane and his men of the corps of Engineers had cleared the area of mine fields despite losing two sappers in the operation. Despite the injuries sustained by Rane and five others, they worked through all the night of 8-9th April preparing a safe lane for the armour advance. Next morning braving incessant enemy machine gun fire they cleared a huge road block surrounded by mines within two hours.

When the Indian progress was held up by another roadblock 13 kms ahead, an unfazed Rane drove up to it in a tank and blasted the obstructions away. A day later he again worked for seventeen hours to open up the road to Chingas and beyond.

Without the Herculean efforts, the Indian advances to Rajuari might never have happened. He was awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his ' grim determination and tireless diligence.