Naik Vinod Singh

Naik Vinod Singh Bhandari hailed from Chaund Jaspur in Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. Son of Shri Veer Singh Bhandari and Smt Shashi Devi, he had three sisters as his siblings. Naik Vinod Singh wanted to serve in the Armed Forces since his childhood like many youngsters in Uttarakhand and eventually joined the Army after completing his school education. He was recruited into the 22 Garhwal Rifles Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles Regiment, an infantry Regiment known for its brave soldiers with a rich history of various battle honours. After serving for a few years, he got married to Ms Neema Devi, and the couple was blessed with a son and a daughter.

Kathua Operation (J&K): 08 Jul 2024

During Jul 2024, Naik Vinod Singh's unit 22 Garhwal Rifles was deployed in the Kathua district of J&K and was engaged in operations against the militants frequently. As the unit’s AOR(Area of Responsibility) was prone to infiltration by the militants, the unit troops had to maintain a high state of alert at all times. The unit undertook operations regularly in its AOR to check the infiltration. Based on information from intelligence sources about the presence of some hardcore terrorists in Kathua district, the security forces launched an armed patrol to track down the terrorists on 08 Jul 2024. Naik Vinod Singh was part of the patrol team that was tasked with the operation. On 08 Jul 2024, Naik Vinod Singh and his comrades set off for the suspected site for a search and cordon operation in the Kathua district.

However, as the convoy carrying the soldiers was on its way, the suspected terrorists attacked the Army vehicle near the Machedi area of Kathua district. In a pre-planned move, the terrorists chose the site of the attack in an area that was hilly with an undulating terrain and had dense forest. The terrorists used grenades and automatic weapons to carry out the attack. The sudden attack had a devastating effect and as a result, many soldiers got severely injured. Naik Vinod Singh and four other soldiers soon succumbed to their injuries and were martyred. Besides Naik Vinod Singh, the other four martyred brave hearts included Nb Sub Anand Singh Rawat, Hav Kamal Singh, Rfn Adarsh Negi, and Rfn Anuj Negi. Naik Vinod Singh Bhandari was a gallant soldier, who laid down his life at the age of 29 years in the line of his duty.

Naik Vinod Singh Bhandari is survived by his father Shri Veer Singh Bhandari, mother Smt Smt Shashi Devi, wife Smt Neema Devi, a son, and a daughter.