Lt Katarya was leading his men in the Pir Panjal ranges, near Sangerwani-Kellar village in Pulkan district, on the night of October 14 and 15. The troops were on their way to the hideout of militants when the insurgents suddenly opened fire killing one of his men. Lt Katarya charged the militants taking a hail of bullets in his chest.

The Lieutenant had been commissioned in the Corps of Ordinance on December 7, 1996 from Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He joined 18 Punjab (Jind) on December 28, 1996 to study the functioning of infantry battalions.

His platoon moved to Jammu and Kashmir in May 1997 and was assigned counter-insurgency tasks in the southern Kashmir valley.

The Minister was told about an incident in which two militants were trapped in a house under heavy fire from all sides. Lt Katarya rushed in and cut the ropes of a cow and its calf which were tied nearby and caught in the cross-fire.

The Defence Minister was apprised of the Lieutenant's achievements by senior defence personnel present at the Katarya residence.