Service No : 2669264W

Date of Birth : March 16, 1959

Place of birth : Bilaspur Dist (HP)

Service : Army

Last Rank : Havildar

Unit : 18 Grenadiers

Arm/Regt : The Grenadiers

Operation : Op Vijay ( Kargil )

Awards : Vir Chakra

Martyrdom : June 14, 1999

Hav Udham Singh VrC

Havildar Udham Singh hailed from Chuwadi village in Ghumarwin tehsil of Bilaspur district in Himachal Pradesh and was born on 16th March 1959. Like many young men in Himachal Pradesh, he was also passionate about serving in the Army, and eventually following his passion, he joined the Army after completing his initial education. He was inducted into 18 Grenadiers Battalion of the Grenadiers Regiment, an infantry Regiment known for its brave soldiers and various battle honours. After serving for some time, he got married to Ms Nirmala Devi hailing from Himachal Pradesh. 

 

Battle of Tololing (Kargil War): 13/14 Jun 1999

 

During 1999, Hav Udham Singh's unit 18 Grenadiers was deployed in the J & K along the LOC. On 03 May 1999, the intrusions by Pak forces were detected and on 26 May 1999, the first air-to-ground strike was launched by the Indian Airforce (IAF), followed by Operation Vijay, by the Indian Army to evict the intruders from the Indian areas. The army quickly mobilized its forces to drive out the Pakistani infiltrators from Indian territory. Hav Udham Singh's 18 Grenadiers battalion, under the command of Col Kushal Thakur, was inducted into the Drass area by 3rd week of May 1999. The battalion was functioning under the command of 56 Mtn Bde, with overall operational control being exercised by 8 Mtn Div under Maj Gen Mohinder Puri. The Tololing Heights was the deepest penetration beyond the LC by the Pakistani intruders. The task of capturing the Tololing feature was assigned to 56 Mtn Bde. The Tololing feature comprised Pt 4590, Tololing Top, South East Spur, South Spur, and Hump to its north. Pt 4590 and Tololing Top dominated all the approaches leading to it. As per the plan of attack of 56 Mtn Bde, 2 Raj Rif was tasked to capture the Tololing top by 0600 Hr on 13 June 1999. 18 Garh Rif battalion was to capture Pt 5140 by 0700 hrs on 13 June. Two companies of 18 Grenadiers were to provide a firm base and the balance of the battalion was to act as reserve to 2 Raj Rif.  
 
After the capture of Tololing top by the 2 Raj Rif battalion, by 13 June 1999, the 18 Grenadiers Battalion was tasked to capture Hump in conjunction with the 18 Garh Rif battalion. On 13th/14th Jun 1999, Hav Udham Singh led the company attack with his section on area Hump in the Drass sector. He along with his comrades kept on neutralizing the enemy’s resistance en route. The area was heavily fortified and Hav Udham Singh’s section’s advance was impeded due to the heavy automatic fire of the enemy. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Hav Udham Singh decided to outflank the enemy positions to neutralize the enemy threat. He ordered his troops to keep engaging the enemy position, while he along with a small team crawled towards the enemy position from the flank. He halted his team close to the enemy sangar and himself inched closer to lob a hand grenade inside. Hav Udham Singh’s movement was however noticed by the enemy who fired at him causing severe injuries to him. Without caring for his wounds, he rushed up to the enemy sangar and lobbed a hand grenade, and fired at the soldiers inside. He succeeded in killing three enemy soldiers from close quarters and signaled his men to charge ahead. However, during this process, he succumbed to his injuries and was martyred.
  
Besides Hav Udham Singh, twelve other soldiers of 18 Grenadiers were martyred during the entire operation. The other martyred brave hearts included Hav Sidh Kam, Nk Praburam Chotiya, Nk Rajvir Singh, L/Nk Raj Kumar, L/Nk Shyam Singh, L/Nk Vinod Kumar, Gdr Surender Singh, Gdr Sukhbir Singh, Gdr Sita Ram Kumawat Gdr Manohar Lal, Gdr Naresh Kumar and Gdr Ved Prakash. His bold and courageous action eventually paved the way for the capture of the important tactical feature Hump, which later facilitated the capture of another significant feature, Point 5140. Hav Udham Singh was a gallant and committed soldier who laid down his life in the service of the nation, following the highest traditions of the Indian Army. Hav Udham Singh was given the gallantry award, “Vir Chakra” for his outstanding grit, determination, devotion to duty, and supreme sacrifice.
 
Hav Udham Singh is survived by his wife Smt Nirmala Devi.
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