Rifleman Pawan Kumar Singh

Rifleman Pawan Kumar Singh hailed from Khanak village in Hiranagar tehsil of Kathua district in Jammu & Kashmir and was born in the year 1978. Son of Shri Baldev Singh and late Smt Attar Devi, Rifleman Pawan Kumar had a younger brother as his sibling. After completing his school education, he joined the Assam Rifles. He was recruited into the 29 Assam Rif Battalion of Assam Rifles, the oldest para-military force in India with its headquarters at Shillong. After serving for a few years, he got married to Ms Bindu and the couple was blessed with two children, son Ansh and daughter Palak.

Manipur Ambush : 22 May 2016

During 2016, Rifleman Pawan Kumar's unit 29 Assam Rif battalion, was deployed in Manipur for counter-insurgency operations. There had been increased militant activity in the border region of Manipur in the early part of the year 2015. In response to this, 1,463-km of an un-fenced border between Manipur and Myanmar had been sealed and the Army and paramilitary forces had launched a major counter-offensive against the militants which continued in the year 2016 too.  Since the AOR ( Area Of Responsibility) of the battalion was affected with militant activity, the troops had to be on guard at all times. The unit was engaged in operations against the militants on a regular basis and Rfn Pawan Kumar was part of many such operations.

On 22 May 2016, Rfn Pawan Kumar as part of the Commandant's QRT (Quick Reaction Team) was tasked to assess a landslide area falling in the unit's AOR in Chandel district.  A number of militants from NSCN(K), Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) and Kanglapak Communist Party (KCP) were active in that area. As Rfn Pawan Kumar and his comrades were returning after assessing the landslide area, the militants attacked them near Shiv Mandir area about 15 kms from Myanmar border, in a pre-planned move at around 1140 hrs. It was a three-vehicle convoy and the attack was directed at the first vehicle carrying Rfn Pawan Kumar and five other soldiers. The soldiers swung into action and retaliated forcing the militants to flee. However, in the fierce exchange of fire, Rfn Pawan Kumar and five other soldiers received gunshots and got severely injured.  They soon succumbed to their injuries and were martyred.  Besides Rfn Pawan Kumar, the other five martyred brave hearts included Sub Baldev Kumar Sharma, Hav Susarjit Barla, Rifleman Mahesh Singh, Rifleman Bhupender Kumar and Rifleman Rfn Akhilesh Kumar Pandey. Rfn Pawan Kumar Singh was a valiant and dedicated soldier, who laid down his life at the age of 38 years in the service of the nation.

Rifleman Pawan Kumar Singh is survived by his wife Smt Bindu, son Ansh and daughter Palak.