Hav Satyapal Singh

Havaldar Satyapal Singh hailed from Jaitpur village near Buhana of Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan. Son of an army veteran Atar Singh and Smt Badama Devi, Hav Satyapal had two brothers Rajesh and Kuldeep as his siblings. Right from his younger days, he always wished to follow in the footsteps of his father and don the Army uniform. Following his dream, he joined the army after completing his school education in the year 2002. He was recruited into 11 Raj Rif battalion of the Rajputana Rifles Regiment, an infantry Regiment known for its brave soldiers and numerous battle honours. After completing his training, he served in various operational areas and developed into a dedicated soldier. His brother Rajesh too joined the Army and was serving at Siachen in the rank of Naib Subedar in 2022. His other brother Kuldeep became an advocate at Buhana. 

After serving for sometime, he got married to Ms Vintosh and the couple was blessed with a son Shantanu and a daughter Bhumika. By 2022, he had put in nearly 20 years of service and gained the reputation of a fine and committed soldier. During 2022, Hav Satyapal's unit was located in a field location and hence his family was staying in Pilani in Rajasthan. 

Parghal Operation (Rajouri - J&K) : 11 Aug 2022

During 2022, Hav Satyapal‘s unit 11 Raj Rif battalion was deployed in the Rajouri district of J&K. The unit troops were engaged in operations against the terrorists on a regular basis as the unit's area of responsibility (AOR) was active with militancy. The area was also prone to infiltration, which necessitated regular armed patrols to check any infiltration from across the border. The AOR of the unit also spanned over dense jungle and remote rugged mountainous terrain with extreme weather conditions, especially in the winter season. On 11 Aug 2022, a group of armed terrorists dressed in police uniforms attacked the 11 Raj Rif base at the Parghal area in Darhal tehsil of Rajouri district. At around 2 AM on 11 Aug 2022, alert sentries of the 11 Raj Rif post detected suspicious persons approaching their post taking advantage of the inclement weather and dense foliage. On being challenged, the two terrorists threw grenades and attempted to gain entry inside the post. 

As the situation turned dangerous and took threatening proportions, Hav Satyapal and some more troops of the unit joined the operation.  A fierce gun battle ensued thereafter as the troops cordoned off the area and engaged the terrorists thereby pinning them down. The gun battle continued for four hours with a heavy exchange of fire from both sides. Eventually, Hav Satyapal and his comrades managed to eliminate the two terrorists who had dared to attack the 11 Raj Rif post. However, during the exchange of fire, Hav Satyapal and five other soldiers got severely injured in the operation. The injured soldiers were shifted to the medical facility of the Army at Jammu. The four other soldiers, Sub Rajendra Prasad Bhambhu, Rifleman Nishant Malik, Rfn Manoj Kumar Bhati, and Rifleman Lakshmanan D soon succumbed to their injuries and were martyred. Whereas Hav Satyapal Singh who had gunshot wounds in his head and waist, was shifted to the Army Hospital at Udhampur, for further treatment. However after battling valiantly for survival for 10 days, he eventually succumbed to his injuries on  21 Aug 2022. Hav Satyapal Singh was a valiant and committed soldier, who laid down his life in the line of his duty.

Hav Satyapal Singh is survived by his mother Smt Badama Devi, wife Smt Vintosh, son Shantanu and daughter Bhumika.