Sepoy Kanchi Singh

Sepoy Kanchi Singh was born in the quiet and humble village of Kisuagarhi, located in Khurja tehsil of Bulandshahar district, Uttar Pradesh. Hailing from a modest family, he grew up embodying the virtues of resilience, discipline, and humility, which would later define his life and career. With aspirations to serve the nation and bring pride to his family and village, he decided to join the Indian Army, a calling that reflects the deep-rooted patriotism and sense of duty for which he was known.

In pursuit of his goal, Sepoy Kanchi Singh joined the 17 Jat Battalion of the Jat Regiment, one of the most decorated and respected infantry regiments of the Indian Army. The Jat Regiment has a long-standing legacy of producing soldiers of unparalleled bravery and resilience, and Sepoy Kanchi Singh was a proud bearer of this tradition. Later, he entered a new chapter of his life when he married Ms Suman Devi, forming a loving bond that blended his personal and professional life.

Battle of Point 4875 (Kargil War): 04-08 July 1999

During 1999, Sep Kanchi Singh’s 17 Jat battalion was deployed in J & K along the LOC. In 1999, the Indian Army detected a massive infiltration by the Pakistani military and paramilitary forces in the Kargil region of Jammu and Kashmir. The army quickly mobilized its forces to drive out the Pakistani infiltrators from Indian territory. Sep Kanchi Singh’s 17 Jat Battalion, under the command of Col US Bawa, was inducted into the Mushkoh Valley on 22 May 1999. The battalion was functioning under the command of 79 Mountain Brigade (79 Mtn Bde), with overall operational control being exercised by 8 Mtn Div (Mountain Division) under Maj Gen Mohinder Puri. By 30 June 1999, the Indian Army had captured many militarily significant features including Pt 5140 and Pt 4700. The next important feature that needed to be captured was Pt 4875 which dominated the National Highway from Mugalpur to Drass a stretch of about 30 km. A feature called 'Rocky Knob' linked it with Tiger Hill. Its capture was important to seal the enemy operations in Mushkoh and hasten its withdrawal. A bold plan was made by 79 Mtn Bde under the command of Brig RK Kakar to capture Pt 4875 by utilizing the elements of 17 Jat, 13 JAK Rif, 2 Naga, 12 Mahar, and 21 Para(SF) along with the Artillery support. Pt 4875 feature comprised Whale Back, Pimple I, Pimple II, Southern Slope, and Flat Top; and the Northern side was named Twin Bumps and Saddle.

As per the operational plan, the attack was to be launched on 04 July, and in Phase-I 17 Jat was to capture Pimple I and Whale Back from the south by 05 July morning. In the same phase, 13 Jak Rif was to capture South Spur from the southeast and Pt 4875 from the south; a team of 21 Para(SF) was to establish a block along Safaid Nala; a company of 12 Mahar was to establish a firm base at Pt 4540 and Tekri to interdict enemy between Twin Bumps and Pt 4875. In Phase-II, 17 Jat was to capture Pimple II by 07 July morning and exploit up to North Spur; 13 JAK Rif was to capture Flat Top in the same time frame and 2 Naga was to capture Twin Bumps by 07 July morning and exploit towards the northeast. Capt Anuj Nayyar, who was promoted to the rank of Captain on 23 June 1999, was functioning as platoon commander of 'Charlie Company' under Major Padam Janghu with Major Ritesh Sharma as second-in-command. The assault was launched as planned on 04 July at 2100 hrs by 17 Jat and 13 JAK Rif after softening the enemy targets with two batteries of Bofors. By 0500 hrs, on 05 July, A and D Companies of 17 Jat under the command of Maj RK Singh and Maj Deepak Rampal respectively captured Whale Back and Pimple I despite stiff enemy resistance. In the same time frame, 13 JAK Rif captured Flat Top and by midday, the Pt 4875 was also captured. However, the enemy was still holding out at many places and Phase II of the attack was needed to be launched.

The Charlie Company of 17 Jat led by Maj Ritesh Sharma launched the attack on Pimple II on 06 July night from the direction of Whale Back. During the initial phase of the assault, Capt Nayyar’s company commander Maj Ritesh Sharma got wounded after sustaining splinter injuries and was evacuated. Capt Nayyar who had been promoted to the Captain’s rank during the Kargil war itself, took over as the company commander. The Pakistani infiltrators had constructed several bunkers on Pt. 4875 and Capt Nayyar’s soldiers located 4 enemy bunkers which were attacking our troops with automatic machine guns. Capt Nayyar and his troops fought with admirable courage and eventually cleared all four enemy bunkers on Pt. 4875. However, while doing so, Sep Kanchi Singh got injured in the enemy firing. He soon succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. The securing of the Pimple Complex area paved the way for the recapture of Tiger Hill which finally forced Pakistan to retreat its forces to pre-conflict positions. Besides Sep Kanchi Singh the other brave hearts martyred in this entire operation included one officer, Capt Anuj Nayyar, and 27 other soldiers. The other martyred soldiers included Hav Bhagwan Singh, Hav Kumar Singh, Hav Hari Om, Hav Mahavir Singh, Nk Balwan Singh, Nk Krishan Lal, Nk Rishipal Singh, Nk Ram Swaroop Singh, L Nk Rajesh Jakhar, L Nk Ramvir Singh, L Nk Rajbir Singh, L Nk Vijay Singh, Sep Syodana Ram, Sep Raj Singh, Sep Kalu Ram Jakhar, Sep Satyvir Singh, Sep Surender, Sep Anil Kumar, Sep Karan Singh, Sep Hawa Singh, Sep Jitendra Singh, Sep Naresh Kumar, Sep Shish Ram, Sep Virander Kumar. L Nk Rajendra Singh & Sep Dharamvir Singh were martyred on 8th Jul 1999, whereas Nk Shyam Bir Singh succumbed to his injuries on 9th Jul 1999. Sep Kanchi Singh was a gallant and determined soldier, who laid down his life in the line of his duty.

Sepoy Kanchi Singh is survived by his wife Smt Suman Devi.