A decade later, when the author, Lt Gen. Satish Dua (Retd.), was his commanding officer in the battalion at the LoC, Chunni Lal had become a combat-experienced Havildar and an inspirational figure. For counter-insurgency operations, he was awarded the Vir Chakra at this time.

Then, in 2007, while deployed. again at the LoC in North Kashmir during a counter-infiltration operation, Naib Subedar Chunni Lal was killed in action. He was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra, the highest peacetime military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice, making him the most highly decorated soldier in the Indian Army.