Sep Veerpal Singh

Sep Veerpal Singh hailed from Gowara village in Sangrur district of Punjab. After completing his school education, Sep Veerpal Singh joined the army in the year 2016 at the age of 19 Years. He was recruited into the Punjab Regiment, an infantry regiment known for its gallant soldiers and numerous battle honours.

Siachen Glacier Avalanche : 18 Nov 2019 

During Nov 2019, Sep Veerpal Singh’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. Sep Veerpal Singh along with Sep Manish Kumar, Sep Dimpal Kumar 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.  Sep Veerpal Singh was a brave and dedicated soldier who laid down his life at the age of 21-years in the line of his duty. Sep Veerpal Singh is survived by his parents, a brother and three sisters.