Sepoy Dilbag Singh

Op Meghdoot: 13 Mar 1986

As part of the ongoing Operation Meghdoot, launched in April 1984 to secure the Siachen Glacier, Sepoy Dilbag Singh joined the troops stationed along the Saltoro Ridge. The operation stemmed from a long-standing territorial dispute between India and Pakistan over the Siachen Glacier, an area of strategic importance. After the UN-brokered ceasefire of 1949, the ceasefire line (CFL) in Jammu and Kashmir was established under the Karachi Agreement. The easternmost segment of the CFL, beyond a point known as NJ9842, was left undefined, with the agreement stating only that it would run “thence north to the glaciers.” For decades, the inhospitable and uninhabited nature of the region meant that neither side sought to militarize it. However, between 1964 and 1972, Pakistan began to extend the CFL beyond NJ9842 in its maps, projecting it west of the Karakoram Pass rather than northward, as the original agreement stated. This cartographic aggression gave rise to a territorial dispute, with Pakistan staking an illegal claim over the Siachen Glacier.

The situation escalated, prompting India to launch Operation Meghdoot on April 13, 1984, to preempt Pakistani advances and secure control of the glacier. In a historic operation, Indian troops, supported by helicopters, were air-dropped at key passes such as Bilafond La and Sia La, bringing approximately 3,300 square kilometers of territory under India's control. By 1986, Sepoy Dilbag Singh had joined the deployment on the Saltoro Ridge, enduring one of the most hostile environments on Earth. The soldiers faced sub-zero temperatures, relentless snowstorms, avalanches, and unprovoked firing from Pakistani forces. Patrolling in such conditions was fraught with immense challenges and constant danger. On 13 March 1986, a patrol team from the 11 Jat Battalion, led by Naib Subedar Nafe Singh, set out on a mission. Sepoy Dilbag Singh  was part of the assigned team. During the patrol, the enemy initiated unprovoked shelling. The heavy shelling triggered a devastating avalanche, burying Naib Subedar Nafe Singh and his team under massive layers of snow. Despite a large-scale rescue operation launched by the Army, Sepoy Dilbag Singh along with Naib Subedar Nafe Singh and six of his comrades made the supreme sacrifice. The other martyred brave hearts included Naik Pema Ram, Naik Risal Singh, Sep Ram Pratap, Sep Man Singh, Sep Balga Nand, and Sep Ram Singh Sheoran.