Subedar Karnail Singh

Uri Attack: 18 Sep 2016

During Sep 2016, Sub Karnail Singh’s unit was deployed in the Baramulla district of J&K for counter-insurgency operations. The unit was functioning under the operational control of the 12 Infantry Brigade, which had its headquarters at Uri. The 12th Infantry Brigade headquarters in Uri was a virtual oasis, protected naturally by the high ranges of the Pir Panjal and the Jhelum River that flowed by. On 18 September, four terrorists infiltrated 6 km into the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC) and struck at a carefully selected objective, the headquarters of one of the Indian Army’s iconic formations, the 12th Infantry Brigade. The attack commenced at around 0530 hrs and the terrorists lobbed 17 grenades in three minutes followed by indiscriminate firing by automatic weapons. As a rear administrative base camp, the HQs had a fuel storage facility, which caught fire along with tents with soldiers sleeping in them.

The attack was executed at a strategically significant time as there was a movement of troops in the region at that time. 10 Dogra battalion had completed its two-year tenure and was moving out, while another battalion (6 Bihar) was coming into the new location. The 'handing-taking over' process was on and therefore the soldiers of 6 Bihar had to sleep in canvas tents near the fuel storage facility.  The terrorists fired incendiary ammunition along with an automatic fire of small arms that led to army tents / temporary shelters catching fire.  As a result of this dastardly attack, 17 army personnel were martyred. The firefight between the terrorists and Army Personnel continued till approximately 0830 hours, during which four terrorists were killed. All four killed were Foreign Terrorists and had some items with them which had Pakistani markings. 

An additional 19-30 soldiers were also injured in the attack. Most of the soldiers martyred were from the 10 Dogra and 6 Bihar battalions. One of the injured soldiers succumbed to his injuries on 19 September at R&R Hospital in New Delhi, followed by another soldier on 30 September, bringing the death toll to 19. Besides Sub Karnail Singh, the other martyred brave hearts included Havildar Ravi Paul, Havildar Ashok Kumar Singh, Havildar Nimb Singh Rawat, Naik Raj Kishor Singh, Naik SK Vidyarthi, Lance Naik Ramesh Kumar Yadav, Lance Naik Galande CS, Sepoy Rakesh Singh, Sepoy Jawra Munda, Sep Gangadhar Dalui, Sepoy Naiman Kujur, Sepoy Uike Panjab Janrao, Sep Ganesh Shankar, Sepoy Biswajit Ghorai, Sepoy Harendra Yadav, Sepoy Thok SS, Sepoy Rajesh Kumar Singh and Sepoy Kulmathe VJ. The nation will remain grateful to these brave soldiers for their courage and supreme sacrifice. Sub Karnail Singh was a gallant and committed Junior Commissioned Officer, who laid down his life in the line of his duty.

Sub Karnail Singh is survived by his mother Smt Ratna Devi, wife Smt Geeta Devi, and sons Anmol, Arun, and Shivam.