Havildar Vivek Singh Tomar SC

Havildar Vivek Singh Tomar hailed from the rural village of Ruwar, located in the Morena district of Madhya Pradesh. The son of Shri Hari Singh Tomar and Smt Munni Devi, he joined the Indian Army as a Rifleman in the Rajputana Rifles Regiment on March 30th, 2002. Following his training, he was assigned to the 5th Battalion of the Rajputana Rifles. Demonstrating unwavering dedication throughout his service in various operational conditions and locations, by 2023, he had earned a well-deserved promotion to the rank of Havildar.

Operation Meghdoot : 10 Jan 2023

In 2023, Havildar Vivek Singh was deployed in the Siachen area, famously known as the highest battlefield in the world with extremely hostile weather conditions. The soldiers deployed as part of Op Meghdoot at Siachen had to fight not only the treacherous enemy but the extremely hostile weather too on a daily basis. The soldiers had to depend on air maintenance sorties to meet their personal as well as operational requirements. It meant that the soldiers survived by rations and stores that were para-dropped from aircraft. Even the collection of the dropped stores was a difficult exercise involving many soldiers. The living conditions were also very harsh and demanded tremendous patience and endurance. The soldiers stayed in snow tents that icy winds and blizzards could blow away or rip apart. On the frigid morning of January 10th, 2023, at precisely 8:00 am, Hav Vivek Singh Tomar was stationed at a remote outpost on the Central Glacier, a staggering 18,300 feet above sea level.

While at the post, Hav Vivek Singh noticed thick smoke emanating from a snow tent. An unexpected malfunction in the temperature control system sent plumes of thick smoke billowing through the snow tent, suffocating the air and making it difficult to breathe. Hav Tomar and his comrades swiftly evacuated the tent, only to face the bone-chilling reality of the external temperature – a staggering minus 52°C. Despite the immediate danger of the extreme cold, Hav Tomar recognized the even graver threat of a potential fire erupting within the smoke-filled tent. With exceptional bravery, he re-entered the hazardous environment in an attempt to contain the situation and prevent a major accident. Due to inhalation of smoke particles and injury to the windpipe, his health deteriorated and he could not be evacuated from the forward post due to inclement weather conditions. Hav Tomar fought fearlessly for 36 hours but made supreme sacrifice on 11 January 2023. For displaying exceptional valor and bravery, Hav Vivek Singh Tomar was posthumously honoured with the "Shaurya Chakra", India's third-highest peacetime gallantry award. 

Hav Vivek Singh Tomar is survived by his father Shri Hari Singh Tomar and mother Smt Munni Devi.

The citation for the "Shaurya Chakra" awarded to him reads:

On 10 January 2023 at 0800 hours, Havildar Vivek Tomar while being deployed at a forward post at an altitude of 18300 feet in Siachen Glacier under Operation MEGHDOOT noticed thick smoke emanating from a snow tent which could have resulted in a massive fire accident at forward post in Glacier leading to a possible threat to the life of soldiers and loss of property. Having assessed the severity of the situation, Havildar Vivek Singh immediately rushed inside to contain the situation. With total disregard for personal safety, the individual entered inside through dense smoke and managed to contain the situation with great difficulty and prevented a major fire incident at the post. Due to inhalation of smoke particles and injury to wind pipe his health deteriorated and he could not be evacuated from the forward post due to inclement weather conditions. He fought fearlessly for 36 hours, but made supreme sacrifice on 11
January 2023.

For displaying distinctive raw courage and extreme bravery with utter disregard to personal safety leading for safety of life of his comrades, Havildar Vivek Singh Tomar is awarded “SHAURYA CHAKRA (POSTHUMOUS)”.