Sep Dimpal Kumar

Sepoy Dimpal Kumar hailed from hailed from Saidon village in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab. Son of Shri Jagga Singh and Smt Parmila Devi, Sep Dimpal Kumar had two siblings a brother Paramjit Singh and sister Anita Devi.  After completing his school education Sep Dimpal Kumar joined the army in the year 2018 and was recruited into the Punjab Regiment, an infantry regiment known for its gallant soldiers and numerous battle honours. After completing his training he was posted to Siachen area as his first assignment.

Siachen Glacier Avalanche : 18 Nov 2019 

During Nov 2019, Dimpal Kumar’s unit was deployed in the northern sector of the Siachen glacier in J & K. This sector was one of the most remote parts of the glacier and remained inaccessible during winter. The troops besides manning designated posts also operated regular patrols to monitor the area along the border. Dimpal Kumar along with Sep Manish Kumar, Sep Veerpal Singh, and Nk Maninder Singh was on one such patrol on 18th Nov 2019. While the patrol team was traversing through the snow-clad terrain a horrific avalanche struck giving them very little time to take any action. The soldiers faced extreme risks in manning the inhospitable terrain at heights of 19,000 feet under extreme weather conditions on the world’s highest battlefield. Avalanches usually take place due to the accumulation of snow and are triggered by morning sunlight. In other cases, when the slope of accumulated snow is between 60 to 80 degrees, the instability leads to an avalanche. Although the Army had a unit of the Snow Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) in Jammu and Kashmir, with several observatories at various locations to issue warnings and alerts to the Army formations and units, it could not detect this avalanche.

The rescue operation was launched by the army with a team equipped with specialized types of equipment. However, the soldiers had got buried under tons of snow and could not be saved. Dimpal Kumar was a brave and determined soldier who laid down his life in the line of his duty. Sep Dimpal Kumar is survived by his father Shri Jagga Singh, mothet Smt Parmila Devi, brother Paramjit Singh and sister Anita Devi.