Sepoy Satyawan Singh VrC

Sepoy Satyawan Singh hailed from Ghorang village in Hainsar Bazar Block of Sant Kabeer Nagar District of Uttar Pradesh and was born on 1st January 1950. Son of Shri Bhagat Singh, Sep Satyawan Singh studied at Shri Rama Rekha Singh Inter College, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, and then joined the Indian army on 6th February 1969 at the age of 19 years. He was enrolled into the 17 Rajput Battalion of the Rajput Regiment, an infantry Regiment well known for its fearless soldiers and various battle honours. 17/7 Rajput as it was then known, was the only 'War Raising' battalion by any Indian Officer (By Lt Col KM Cariappa, who went on to become the first Indian Commander-in-Chief and later the Chief of Army Staff). 17/7 Rajput was raised at Fatehgarh on April 15, 1942, as the Machine Gun Battalion of the erstwhile 7th Rajput Regiment. Popular in the army as the 'Barhe Chalo' battalion, a motto coined by the first commanding officer, it was converted into a 'Lorried Battalion' on September 15, 1942, and moved to Secunderabad to form part of the 268th Lorried Brigade. Eventually, "Barhe Chalo" became the 17th Battalion of the Rajput Regiment on May 1, 1948.  Thereafter it took part in various operations and also played a crucial role in the 1971 war. 

Battle of Dera Baba Nanak (Indo-Pak War):  Dec 1971

During 1971, Sepoy Satyawan Singh's unit 17 Rajput got deployed on the western border in Punjab.  The unit was deployed in the Dera Baba Nanak area under the operational control of the 86 Infantry Brigade commanded by Brig Gauri Shanker. Dera Baba Nanak (DBN) was a small town about 30 miles north of Amritsar and south of the Ravi. In its proximity were two strategically important enclaves, north and south of the Ravi, belonging to India and Pakistan respectively. The Indian enclave was called Kasowal and the Pakistani Jassar or DBN.  At about 2130 hours on the night of 3/4 December, Pakistan launched a surprise attack on the Kasowal enclave with a combat group of tanks and infantry preceded by intense artillery bombardment. Eventually, the enclave was captured by 0430 hours on 4 December. As a response to this attack, Brig Gauri Shanker, in command of the 86 Infantry Brigade Group responsible for operations in the area, was ordered to eliminate the Pakistani enclave at DBN by first light on 6 December.

The plan of 86 Inf Bde broadly envisaged crossing the Ravi west of Metia by 71 Armoured Regiment less one squadron, and 10 Dogra to capture the bund complex immediately south of the bridge as the first phase of the attack commencing at last light on 5 December. In the second phase, 1/9 Gorkha Rifles was to capture the Dhussi bund, from T Junction up to Colonel’s Hut by O430 hours on 6 December, and 17 Rajput, so far holding the firm base, was to clear the outposts between the base and the bund by first light the same day. Sep Satyawan Singh's company under the command of Capt Nawal Singh Rajawat was tasked to clear the crucial enemy posts. Sep Satyawan Singh was made part of a Commando force and given the task of capturing an enemy locality in the Dera Baba Nanak area. Sep Satyawan Singh was accompanying the leading elements with his 'Company Commander'  Capt Nawal Singh Rajawat when an enemy MMG(Medium Machine Gun) opened up from a pill box from the flank causing heavy casualties. Realizing the necessity of silencing this gun, Sep Satyawan Singh with complete disregard for his personal safety charged at the pill box. In a rare show of commendable gallantry and courage, he silenced the enemy Medium Machine Gun and killed the enemy soldiers. However, while doing so, he received gunshots and got seriously wounded. He soon succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. Sep Satyawan Singh showed remarkable gallantry in the face of the enemy beyond the call of his duty and made the supreme sacrifice. He was posthumously given the nation's 3rd highest gallantry award, "Vir Chakra" for his outstanding courage, determination, and supreme sacrifice.

Citation for the "Vir Chakra" awarded to him reads:-

Sepoy Satyawan Singh of a Battalion of the Rajput Regiment was part of a Commando force given the task of capturing an enemy locality in the Dera Baba Nanak area in the Western Sector. Sepoy Satyawan Singh was accompanying the leading elements with his Company commander when a Medium Machine Gun opened up from a pill box from the Flank causing heavy casualties to our troops. Realizing the necessity of silencing this gun, he with complete disregard for his personal safety charged the pill box and silenced the enemy Medium Machine Gun killing the enemy. In this process, he was seriously wounded as a result of which he died.

In this action, Sepoy Satyawan Singh displayed cool gallantry and determination of a high order.