Service No : 30831
Date of Birth : March 14, 1926
Place of birth : Almora, U'Khand
Service : Army
Last Rank : Naik
Unit : 4 Kumaon
Arm/Regt : The Kumaon Regiment
Operation : Op Riddle
Awards : MVC
Martyrdom : May 31, 1948
Naik Nar Singh hailed from Gangoli Kotuli village of Almora District in Uttarakhand and was born on 14 March 1926. He was recruited into the 4 Battalion of the Kumaon Regiment, one of the most decorated infantry regiments of the Indian Army which traces back its history to the 18th century.
1947-48 Indo-Pak War : 31 May 1948
During May 1948, Naik Nar Singh's unit 4 Kumaon was deployed in J&K and was engaged in operations against the Pak forces. On 31 May 1948, 4 Kumoan battalion was tasked to attack a hill feature named Master feature as part of ongoing operations. Naik Nar Singh, was commanding a section of the company that was spearheading the attack. The Master feature was a narrow steep feature covered with dense pine forests. The approach to this feature was along a very narrow and bridle path. The enemy was holding this feature with two companies, a section of MMGs and a detachment of 3-inch mortars.
The attack commenced at 0530 hours but it did not succeed owing to lack of space for manoeuvring and intense enemy fire. During the second assault Naik Nar Singh was hit by an enemy bullet in the right shoulder. He was ordered by the company commander to be evacuated to safety. But as the third wave of the attack started, Naik Nar Singh quietly slipped out unnoticed and went on to lead his section which was the leading section of the assault wave. Shouting in his Kumaoni language, "Kumaoni ko bachhao; jan chali jae lekin dushman ke aj tukre kar dalo. Picche nahin hatna", and firing his sten gun, he jumped into an enemy LMG bunker. In a daring move, Naik Nar Singh bayoneted two of the enemy LMG gunners and captured the gun. However by this time he had lost too much blood and collapsed in the bunker itself. Naik Nar Singh was martyred displaying outstanding gallantry and fighting spirit. The attack went off successfully and the objective was captured by 1130 hrs.
Naik Nar Singh was a gallant and committed soldier who laid down his life in the line of his duty. Naik Nar Singh was given the nation’s second highest gallantry award ” Maha Vir Chakra” posthumously for his cold courage, unfaltering leadership and supreme sacrifice.
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