Naik Bakhtawar Singh

Naik Bakhtawar Singh hailed from Hajipur village in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab and was born on 01 Jan 1983. Son of an Army veteran Pritam Singh and Smt Sheela Kaur, Nk Bakhtawar Singh wanted to serve in the Armed Forces since his childhood like his father who too served in the Army and had fought in the 1971 war. His elder brother too served and retired from the Indian army. Eventually Nk Bakhtawar Singh  got selected to join it after completing his school education. He was recruited into 8 Sikh LI battalion of the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment, a well known infantry Regiment with a rich history of valour and battle honours. He loved his job to the core and was very brave and devoted soldier. After serving for few years, Nk Bakhtawar Singh got married to Ms Jasbir Kaur and the couple was blessed with two sons and one daughter.

Cross-Border Firing (Naushera Sector: J&K) : 16 Jun 2017

During 2017, Nk Bakhtawar Singh’s unit 8 Sikh LI was deployed in Naushera sector of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir. The unit was manning the forward posts along the LOC in Rajouri district. As the area of his unit’s operation was very volatile and prone to infiltration by militants, the unit had to maintain a strict vigil at all times and deployed armed patrols with regular frequency. The posts were located in high-altitude areas with inhospitable weather conditions and rugged terrain. Many posts, as well as the patrol routes of the unit, were prone to snow blizzards, and unpredictable landslides, especially during winter seasons. As in the previous years, the LOC was highly active and volatile where ceasefire violations occurred very often and without any warning. The year 2016 witnessed a high number of ceasefire violations and the trend continued in the year 2017 too. One more such ceasefire violation took place on 16 Jun 2017 in Rajouri district of J&K. On that day, Nk Bakhtawar Singh was manning one of the forward posts along the LOC in Naushera sector of Rajouri district.

On the early morning of Friday, on 16th June 2017, around 5.15 am, Pakistani troops initiated unprovoked firing on Indian posts from across the border in the Naushera sector in Rajouri district. Pakistani soldiers violated the ceasefire and resorted to unprovoked firing using small arms, automatics, and mortars. Pakistan army resorted to shelling and firing in Naushera sector with the probable intention of pushing trained militants into the Indian territory. Naik Bakhtawar Singh and his comrades retaliated forcefully against the ceasefire violation resulting in a prolonged cross-border exchange of fire. However, during this action, Naik Bakhtawar Singh was grievously injured by the gun fire and was evacuated to the nearby Military Hospital. However he later, succumbed to his injuries during the treatment and was martyred. Nk Bakhtawar Singh was a valiant and committed soldier, who laid down his life at the age of 34 years in the line of his duty, following the highest traditions of the Indian army. 

Naik Bakhtawar Singh is survived by his father Shri Pritam Singh, mother Smt Sheela Kaur, wife Smt Jasbir Kaur and three children.