Hav Ram Singh Shekhawat SM

Hav Ram Singh Shekhawat hailed from Chanwara village in Udaipurwati tehsil of Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan. Son of Shri Roop Singh Shekhawat and Smt Sada Kanwar Rathore, he was born on 10 Dec 1966. After completing his initial schooling, he joined the Army on 17 Sep 1987 at the age of 20 years. He was inducted into 19 Grenadiers of the Grenadiers Regiment, an infantry Regiment known for its valiant soldiers and various battle honours. By the year 2000, Hav Ram Singh Shekhawat had put in around 13 years of service and had been promoted to the rank of Havildar. By then he had developed into a tough and dedicated soldier after having served as part of varous challenging operations like Op Pawan in Sri Lanka, Op Meghdoot in Siachen Glacier and Op Rakshak in J&K. 

Pallanwala sector Operation (Op Rakshak): 22 Jan 2000

During Jan 2000, Hav Ram Singh Shekhawat's unit was deployed in the Pallanwala sector in Akhnoor (Jammu) as part of "Operation Rakshak".  As the AOR (Area of Responsibility) of the battalion was near the LOC, the troops were involved in counter-insurgency as well as counter-infiltration operations on a regular basis. The troops were also vulnerable to surprise attacks by the militants active in their area of responsibility.  Based on the information from the intelligence sources, the unit decided to launch a raid on an enemy post in Pallanwala Sector in Jammu & Kashmir on 22 Jan 2000.  As planned the operation was launched on 22 Jan under the leadership of Major Gopal Singh Chundawat. Hav Ram Singh Shekhawat was made part of the team that was assigned the task.  Hav Ram Singh Shekhawat and his comrades reached the suspected area in the Pallanwala (Chhamb) sector of Jammu and launched the operation.

As commander of the task force, Major Gopal Singh Chundawat along with his JCO Sub US Shekhawat planned prepared and rehearsed the mission diligently. In an effort to achieve an element of surprise, Hav Ram Singh and his comrades tackled the enemy post from the front and completely surprised the enemy. Coordinating the entire operation amidst heavy enemy fire, Major Chundawat identified key enemy bunkers and directed his soldiers to attack them. Hav Ram Singh was part of a platoon during the special operation and engaged the enemy with commendable bravery. However in the heavy exchange of fire, Hav Ram Singh Shekhawat got severely injured and later succumbed to his wounds. His act of gallantry inspired his comrades to achieve success in the special operation. Hav Ram Singh Shekhawat was a gallant soldier, who laid down his life at the age of 33 years in the service of the nation. He was given the gallantry award “Sena Medal” for his courage, bravery and supreme sacrifice.

Hav Ram Singh Shekhawat is survived by his wife Smt Raj Kanwar, three sons and a daughter. 

• On 12 March 2001, a statue was erected in his native village in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan in his honour. 
• The 'Rajkiya Vidyalaya' in his village has been named as " Shaheed Ram Singh Shekhawat Rajkiya Adarsh Utch Madhyamik Vidyalaya Chanwara" in his memory.