Lance Naik Satpal Singh

Lance Naik Satpal Singh hailed from Luhari village of Garhmukteshwar tehsil in Hapur district in Uttar Pradesh and was born on 17 January 1967. L/Nk Satpal Singh was inclined to serve in the Army since his younger days. Following his passion, he joined the army after completing his initial education. He was recruited into 2 Raj Rif battalion of the Rajputana Rifles Regiment, an infantry Regiment known for its brave soldiers and numerous battle honours. After serving for some time, he got married to Ms Babita Devi hailing from Uttar Pradesh.

Battle of Black Rock Complex (Kargil War) : 28 June 1999

L/Nk Satpal Singh's 2 Raj Rif battalion, under the command of Lt Col MB Ravindranath, which was part of 81 Mountain Brigade in the Lolab valley was inducted into the Drass area on 04 June 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. Shortly after the signing of the Lahore declaration in 1999, the Pakistan Army surreptitiously occupied the winter vacated posts of the Indian Army. On 03 May 1999, these intrusions were detected and on 26 May 1999, the first air-to-ground strike was launched by the Indian Air Force (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. After the capture of Tololing and Point 5140 by 20 June 1999, it was necessary to maintain pressure on the enemy. A number of reconnaissance missions confirmed that an area called 'Three Pimples Ridge' was needed to be captured in conjunction with Point 4700 in the first phase. Subsequently it was required to capture Point 5100 to reach the LOC. The 'Three Pimples Ridge' which emanated from Pt 5100 on the Marpo La Ridgeline dominated the National Highway, Drass town and Sando Valley. The capture of this area was necessary to pave the way for capturing Pt 5100 and subsequently Pt 5600, to isolate the intrusion east of Sando Nala in Drass. Three Pimples also known as Black Rock complex consisted of Three Pimples, Lone Hill, Knoll and Kajal and bifurcated into two spur lines. Point 4700 Ridge consisted of Pt 4700, Saddle, Tommy, Sangar, Rocky and Junction Point. In order to achieve the desired objective in that area, a bold plan to launch multidirectional attacks spread over two phases was chalked out. 

As per the operational plan, in phase-I, 2 Raj Rif was to capture Knoll and Lone Hill and contact Junction Point by early morning of 29 June. 18 Garh Rif was tasked to capture Tommy, Saddle and Pt 4700 by 29 June morning. In phase-II, 2 Raj Rif was to clear Three Pimples by midday and 16 Grenadiers Battalion was to exploit the situation and capture Junction Point by 30 June. In this phase, 18 Garh Rif was tasked to capture Rocky and Sangar and thereafter link up with 16 Grenadiers at Junction Point by 30 June. The 'A' Company of 2 Raj Rif under the command of Major Padmapani Acharya was tasked to capture Knoll from the direction of 'Kajal'. 'D' Company of 2 Raj Rif under the command of Major Mohit Saxena was tasked to capture Lone Hill, whereas 'B' Company under the command of Major Bajaj was to rush towards the Junction area after the fall of Lone Hill. The Ghatak platoon under the command of Capt Neikezhakuo Kenguruse was to establish blocks north and south of Lone Hill. The attack by 2 Raj Rif and 18 Garh Rif commenced at 2030 hrs on 28 June 1999. 

'D' Company led by Major Mohit Saxena outflanked Black Rock and assaulted Lone Hill, a feature that comprised of three bumps. The first two bumps were captured but the third located on a rock face offered stiff resistance. Capt Neikezhakuo Kenguruse along with his Ghatak platoon was then ordered to capture the bump from the north.  'A' Company of 2 Raj Rif under the command of Major Padmapani Acharya also launched attack as planned to capture Knoll from the direction of 'Kajal'. A fierce gun battle continued for several hours with 2 Raj Rif troops including Lance Naik Satpal Singh, engaging the enemy with commendable bravery. A fierce gun battle continued for several hours with 2 Raj Rif troops engaging the enemy with commendable bravery. The enemy position was finally over-run and the objective was captured. However during the heavy exchange of fire, L/Nk Satpal Singh was seriously injured. He later succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. Besides L/Nk Satpal Singh, three officers and nine other soldiers from 2 Raj Rif Battalion laid down their lives during this entire operation. The other martyred brave hearts included, Maj Padmapani Acharya, Capt Vijayant Thapar, Capt Neikezhakuo Kenguruse, Hav SS Sengar,, Hav Satyabir Singh, Nk Anand Singh, L/Nk Vikram Singh, Rfn JS Shekhawat, Rfn Satyaveer SIngh, Rfn Om Prakash, Rfn Jasvir, and Rfn Kanwar Pal Singh. Lance Naik Satpal Singh was a valiant and committed soldier, who laid down his life at the age of 32 years in the line of his duty.

Lance Naik Satpal Singh is survived by his wife Smt Babita Devi. 

• A memorial in the memory of Lance Naik Satpal Singh has been constructed at Luhari village of Garhmukteshwar tehsil in Hapur district in Uttar Pradesh.