Havildar Kamal Singh Rawat

Havildar Kamal Singh Rawat hailed from Papri village of Pauri Garhwal district in Uttarakhand and was born in 1996. Son of late Shri Kesar Singh, he wanted to serve in the Armed Forces since his childhood like many youngsters in Uttarakhand. He lost his father when he was very young and was brought up by his mother and grandmother. Driven by his desire to support his family financially and serve in the Army, he eventually joined the Army in the year 2014 at the age of 18 years. He was recruited into the 22 Garhwal Rifles Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles Regiment, an infantry Regiment known for its brave soldiers with a rich history of various battle honours.

After serving for a few years, he got married and the couple was blessed with two daughters. He was determined to provide better education to his daughters but it was difficult to do that in his village as it was in a remote, hilly area. So, he moved his family, including his wife and mother, to a rented accommodation in Kotdwar City, approximately 70 km from his village. By 2024 Hav Kamal Singh Rawat had served in the Army for around 10 years and had served in various challenging operational areas. By then he had been promoted to the rank of Havildar.

Kathua Operation (J&K): 08 Jul 2024

During Jul 2024, Hav Kamal Singh Rawat's unit 22 Garhwal Rifles was deployed in the Kathua district of J&K and was engaged in operations against the militants frequently. As the unit’s AOR(Area of Responsibility) was prone to infiltration by the militants, the unit troops had to maintain a high state of alert at all times. The unit undertook operations regularly in its AOR to check the infiltration. Based on information from intelligence sources about the presence of some hardcore terrorists in Kathua district, the security forces launched an armed patrol to track down the terrorists on 08 Jul 2024. Hav Kamal Singh Rawat was part of the patrol team that was tasked with the operation. On 08 Jul 2024, Hav Kamal Singh Rawat and his comrades set off for the suspected site for a search and cordon operation in the Kathua district.

However, as the convoy carrying the soldiers was on its way, the suspected terrorists attacked the Army vehicle near the Machedi area of Kathua district. In a pre-planned move, the terrorists chose the site of the attack in an area that was hilly with an undulating terrain and had dense forest. The terrorists used grenades and automatic weapons to carry out the attack. The sudden attack had a devastating effect and as a result, many soldiers got severely injured. Hav Kamal Singh Rawat and four other soldiers soon succumbed to their injuries and were martyred. Besides Hav Kamal Singh Rawat, the other four martyred brave hearts included Nb Sub Anand Singh Rawat, Nk Vinod Singh, Rfn Adarsh Negi, and Rfn Anuj Negi. Hav Kamal Singh Rawat was a gallant and determined soldier who laid down his life at the age of 28 years in the line of duty.

Hav Kamal Singh Rawat is survived by his mother, wife, and two daughters.