Naib Subedar Daulat Singh

Naib Subedar Daulat Singh hailed from the Rolsabsar village of Fatehpur Shekhawati tehsil in the Sikar district of Rajasthan and was born in the year 1940. Son of Shri Ramkumar singh and Smt Sikori Kanwar, he joined the Indian Army on 07 Mar 1958 at the age of eighteen years. Following his training, he was assigned to the 5th Battalion of the Rajputana Rifles. 

After serving for few years he got married to Ms Puran Kanwar and the couple had 3 sons Omprakash Singh, Vijay Singh, Ajay Singh and a daughter Vimla kanwar. Nb Sub Daulat Singh's dedication to duty was unwavering and he participated in various operations, proving his mettle as a soldier. He took part in the Indo-China war of 1962,  and also in Indo-Pak wars of 1965, and 1971. As the years rolled by, he received many medals for his service including Long Service Medal, Operation Vijay Medal, Raksha medal -1965, and Sangram Medal -1971. By 1980, he had risen to the rank of Naib Subedar, having served the nation for over 22 years. By then he had evolved into a respected and highly competent Junior Commissioned Officer.

Ladakh Avalanche: 06 Feb 1980

During Feb 1980, Naib Subedar Daulat Singh's unit was deployed in the harsh, mountainous terrain of Ladakh. The AOR(Area of Responsibility) of the unit spanned over remote rugged mountainous terrain with extreme weather conditions, especially in the winter season. The region was notorious for its extreme weather conditions, especially during winter. The soldiers were frequently tasked with patrolling remote areas and clearing snow-blocked roads. The soldiers joining the unit on posting or returning from leave had to acclimatize in phases at transit centers before joining owing to extreme weather conditions. Also, heavy snowfall often blocked the roads and hampered the movement of troops which necessitated frequent clearance operations. 

The troops were deployed on various forward posts and often undertook patrol to monitor the area in between the manned posts.  Nb Sub Daulat Singh was leading one such patrol on 06 Feb 1980 in Ladakh area.  As the troops were traversing through the planned route, and coming down a cliff, a horrific avalanche struck them. The magnitude and suddenness of the avalanche did not give any time to the team to take any evasive actions. As a result, Nb Sub Daulat Singh and his comrades got trapped under tons of snow. A massive rescue operation was launched but the rescue team could not manage to save Nb Sub Daulat Singh and thirteen other soldiers accompanying him. Nb Sub Daulat Singh was a tough soldier and committed Junior Commissioned Officer, who laid down his life at the age of 40 years in the line of his duty.

Nb Sub Daulat Singh is survived by his wife Smt Puran Kanwar, sons Shri Omprakash Singh, Shri Vijay Singh, Hav Ajay Singh (presently serving in Indian Army as a Havildar), and a daughter Smt Vimla kanwar.