Subedar Ajit Singh MVC

Subedar Ajit Singh was born on 8 April 1933 in Sobhana village of Jalandhar district, Punjab. He was the son of Shri Ujagar Singh and grew up in a simple rural environment, imbibing the values of discipline, hard work, and service from an early age. Belonging to a region with a proud martial tradition, young Sub Ajit Singh was naturally inspired by the stories of valour and sacrifice of soldiers from Punjab who had served the nation with distinction.

With a strong sense of duty and an eagerness to contribute to the country’s defence, Sub Ajit Singh decided to join the armed forces at a young age. At just 19 years old, he realized his dream of donning the uniform and was enrolled in the Indian Army on 23 May 1952. He was recruited into the prestigious Sikh Regiment, one of the oldest and most decorated infantry regiments of the Indian Army, renowned for its gallant soldiers and glorious battle history

After joining the Sikh Regiment in 1952, Subedar Ajit Singh went on to serve with distinction for over a decade, steadily rising through the ranks. By 1965, he was serving with 4 Sikh, a battalion with an illustrious record of courage and sacrifice. During the Indo-Pak War of 1965, 4 Sikh was deployed in the Punjab sector, where some of the fiercest battles of the war were fought. The battalion was entrusted with the strategically important mission of capturing Burki village in Pakistan, located close to the Ichhogil Canal—a well-fortified defensive line held by the Pakistani Army. The assault was planned for 2000 hrs on 6 September 1965, and as the Indian troops advanced towards their objective, they came under devastating enemy fire. Mortars, artillery, and automatic weapons from the village, as well as from the canal bank, rained down on the assaulting companies, stalling their progress. The advance was pinned down by a well-sited enemy medium machine gun post, which dominated the battlefield and inflicted heavy casualties.

Recognizing that the gun position had to be neutralized for the attack to succeed, Subedar Ajit Singh was tasked with this extremely dangerous mission. Demonstrating remarkable courage and complete disregard for his own safety, he charged the enemy emplacement single-handedly. In the process, he was grievously wounded in the chest by a burst of medium machine gun fire. Despite his injuries, Subedar Ajit Singh pressed on with unflinching determination. Reaching close to the bunker, he lobbed a grenade through a loophole, successfully destroying the gun post and silencing the enemy fire. This extraordinary act of bravery not only removed the immediate threat that was holding up the Indian advance but also galvanized his comrades, inspiring them to push forward and capture the objective. However, Subedar Ajit Singh succumbed to his wounds soon after the assault, making the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. For his indomitable courage, exceptional leadership, and devotion to duty of the highest order, Subedar Ajit Singh was awarded the nation’s second-highest wartime gallantry award, the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC), posthumously.