Naik Uttam Singh

Naik Uttam Singh Bhati hailed from Mehrajot village in Fatehgarh tehsil of Jaisalmer district in Rajasthan and was born on 19 Sep 1958. Naik Uttam Singh joined the army after completing his school education and was recruited into 11 Raj Rif battalion of the Rajputana Rifles Regiment, an infantry Regiment known for its brave soldiers and numerous battle honours. 

Operation Pawan: 20 Jan 1989

During Jan 1989, Naik Uttam Singh's unit was deployed in Sri Lanka as part of IPKF. After the induction of Indian forces in Aug 1987, the militants were supposed to surrender but the dreaded LTTE backed out and unleashed war on Indian forces. Initially, only 54 division of the Army was inducted but the escalation of the operations brought three more divisions 3, 4 and 57 into the conflict. Naik Uttam Singh's unit,11 Raj Rif Battalion was ordered to go to Sri Lanka on July 12, 1988. The battalion departed from Madras (Chennai) on September 28, 1988, and upon arrival in Sri Lanka, was deployed in the Mullaitivu District. By Jan 1989, Indian forces had undertaken numerous operations against LTTE but the war was far from over. On January 20, 1989, the battalion received credible information from confidential sources about LTTE militants hiding in local houses in the unit's AOR (Area of Responsibility). Based on this information, the 11 and 12 Platoons of the Battalion’s ‘Delta’ Company were sent to conduct a search operation in the area.

These two platoons successfully thwarted the strong defenses and fierce attacks of the LTTE’s suicide squads, eleiminating many LTTE militants. Naik Uttam Singh as part of one of the Platoons played a pivotal role in this operation. However, during the exchange of fire, Nk Uttam Singh and L/ Hav Umed Singh got severely injured in the operation. The injured soldiers were shifted to the medical facility of the Army, but Nk Uttam Singh and L/ Hav Umed Singh soon succumbed to their injuries and were martyred. Nk Uttam Singh Bhati was a brave and committed soldier who laid down his life in the line of his duty displaying commendable courage and grit.

Nk Uttam Singh Bhati is survived by his wife Smt Tara Kanwar.