Capt Paramjit Singh

Capt Paramjit Singh hailed from Daulatabad village in Pataudi tehsil of Gurgaon district in Haryana and was born on 13 August 1969. Son of an Indian Air Force veteran Warrant Officer Ram Avtar and Mrs Ramrati, he had a younger brother Krishan Yadav, and a sister Mona Yadav as his siblings. Since his father had to move on frequent postings, he moved the family to Delhi for better education of his children. Capt Paramjit did his schooling from Govt Boys School in Sadar Bazar in Delhi Cantt. He was always inclined to serve in the Armed Forces like his father since his younger days. The aircraft that flew over the Palam area, where he stayed fascinated him and he always dreamt of becoming a pilot one day. After his class 12, he appeared for the prestigious NDA exam and got selected for the 80th NDA Course. After successful completion of his NDA training, he went to IMA Dehradun for further training.

He passed out of IMA Dehradun on 13 June 1992 as part of 90th Course at the age of 22 years. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant  into 316 Medium Artillery Regiment of the Regiment of Artillery, an important combat support arm of Indian Army. After putting in about four years of service in his parent unit he opted for the Army Aviation Corps. He got trained as a Helicopter pilot and on successful completion of his flying course from Hyderabad, he was awarded his wings. He was then posted to 31 R&O flight functioning under 663 Army Aviation Squadron based in Jalandhar. After serving for few years, in 1997 he got married to Capt Santosh Kumari Yadav a serving Lady Officer and the couple was blessed with a daughter in 1998. On 23 May 1999, his flight was asked to move for operations in the Kargil sector. He flew many daring air missions doing recce and evacuating battle casualties during the Kargil War.

Army Air Operation : 14 Nov 1999

During 1999, Capt Paramjit Singh was serving with 661 Army Aviation Squadron of the Army Aviation Corps. The Squadron was operating the Cheetah Helicopter, a high-performance helicopter designed for operation over a very wide range of weight, center of gravity, and altitude conditions. The Squadron was using the Cheetah helicopter as a versatile, multi-role, multi-purpose machine undertaking various operational tasks on a regular basis. Capt Paramjit Singh was tasked for one such operation on 26 July 1999 on the last day of Kargil War. However, his Cheetah Helicopter developed a serious snag and crashed in the Drass sector. Capt Paramjit Singh was seriously injured and was evacuated to 92 Base Hospital Srinagar. After he recuperated, Capt Paramjit Singh again volunteered to join his flight back, which was still in Sharifabad in Badgam district of J&K as part of the ongoing "Op Rakshak".

By mid Nov 1999, it had become very cold in the valley and the troops, besides taking precautions while performing operational duties, had to resort to various measures to keep them warm and remain healthy. The extreme cold conditions necessitated the use of diverse specialist equipment like heaters, diesel powered generating sets, rescue equipment, warm clothing etc. The diesel powered generating sets were often used to power lighting, electric heaters and other equipment. On 13 Nov 1999, after a tiring day, Capt Paramjit Singh retired to his room instructing his buddy to wake him up at 6 am the next day in the morning. On the morning of 14 Nov 1999, when his buddy came with morning tea, tragically he never woke up. Due to unknown reasons, Capt Paramjit Singh got seriously affected with the Carbon Monoxide released by the diesel powered generating set and lost his life. Thus the precious life of a committed officer was lost in this horrific accident. Capt Paramjit Singh's bravery, camaraderie, and utmost devotion to his duty were indeed commendable and he was awarded 'General Officer Commanding in Chief Northern Command Commendation Card' for his meritorious service. Capt Paramjit Singh was a committed soldier and professionally competent pilot, who laid down his life at the age of 30 years in the line of his duty.

Capt Paramjit Singh is survived by his father Warrant Officer Ram Avtar (Retd), mother Smt Ramrati, wife Capt Santosh Kumari Yadav (Retd), daughter Aakriti, brother Shri Krishan Yadav and sister Smt Mona Yadav.