As part of the ongoing Operation Meghdoot, launched in April 1984 to secure the Siachen Glacier, Sepoy Satyavir Singh joined the troops stationed along the Saltoro Ridge—a critical position in one of the most hostile and strategically significant battlegrounds in the world. The operation was initiated to counter a long-standing territorial dispute between India and Pakistan over the Siachen Glacier, a region of immense strategic importance. The roots of this dispute can be traced back to the 1949 UN-brokered Karachi Agreement, which delineated the Ceasefire Line (CFL) in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the easternmost stretch of the CFL beyond NJ9842 was left undefined, with the agreement ambiguously stating that it would run “thence north to the glaciers.” For years, the harsh and uninhabitable terrain deterred military activity in the region.
This changed between 1964 and 1972 when Pakistan began to extend the CFL beyond NJ9842 in its maps, projecting it westward toward the Karakoram Pass instead of northward, as implied in the original agreement. This cartographic aggression led Pakistan to stake an illegal claim over the Siachen Glacier, escalating tensions. In response, India launched Operation Meghdoot on April 13, 1984, preemptively deploying troops to assert control over the glacier and deny Pakistan’s advances. Indian forces, using helicopters, air-dropped troops at critical passes such as Bilafond La and Sia La, securing approximately 3,300 square kilometers of contested territory. By 1986, Sepoy Satyavir Singh had joined the deployment on the Saltoro Ridge, where soldiers endured relentless snowstorms, sub-zero temperatures, avalanches, and unprovoked enemy shelling. Patrolling in such perilous conditions required extraordinary endurance, courage, and resilience.
On March 22, 1986, while leading a patrol in the unforgiving terrain of the Siachen Glacier, Sepoy Satyavir Singh and his team were struck by a devastating avalanche triggered by enemy shelling. Despite his exceptional leadership and courage, he became trapped beneath the snow. A massive rescue operation was launched, but the treacherous conditions claimed his life. Alongside Sepoy Satyavir Singh, four other brave soldiers of the 11 Jat Battalion—Havildar Shyam Lal, Naik Fateh Singh, Sepoy Prem Chand Dular, and Sepoy Raj Bir—also made the supreme sacrifice. This tragic loss was part of a series of fatal events for the battalion in the days leading up to March 22. On March 19, 1986, Lance Naik Baljit Singh and Sepoy Ram Kanwar succumbed to injuries sustained during operations. The following day, on March 20, 1986, three more soldiers—Naik Bhagat Singh, Sepoy Tola Ram Khileri, and Sepoy Rameshwar—lost their lives. On March 24, 1986, Havildar Krishan Pal succumbed to his injuries, becoming the last of the battalion’s soldiers to be martyred in this chain of tragic incidents. Sepoy Satyavir Singh was a valiant soldier who embodied the highest traditions of the Indian Army.
Sepoy Satyavir Singh is survived by his wife, Smt Dharma Devi.
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