Subedar Sumer Singh Rathore SM

Subedar Sumer Singh Rathore hailed from Dudhwa Khara village of Churu district in Rajasthan. Son of Shri Dungar Singh Rathore and Smt Kamal Devi, he was born on 15 Aug 1955. After completing his schooling he joined the Indian Army on 26 Apr 1975 at the age of 19 years. He was enrolled into 2 Raj Rif Battalion of the Rajputana Rifles, an infantry Regiment known for its gallant soldiers and glorious history of numerous battle exploits.

After serving for a few years, he got married to Ms Kamla Kanwar and the couple had two sons Narender Singh & Himat Singh, and a daughter Anita Kumari. By the year 1999, he had put in around 24 years of service and had been promoted to the rank of Subedar. By then he had served in various field areas and developed into a dependable Junior Commissioned Officer. During his service, he took part in various operations and proved his mettle as a soldier many a times. The significant operations that he participated included Op Orchid (1976-77), Op Blue Star (1984), Op Black Thunder (1986-88) and  Op Rakshak (1994-95). 

Battle of Tololing (Kargil War): June 1999

Shortly after the signing of the Lahore declaration in 1999, the Pakistan Army surreptitiously occupied the winter vacated posts of the Indian Army. On 03 May 1999, these intrusions were detected and on 26 May 1999, the first air-to-ground strike was launched by the Indian Airforce (IAF), followed by Operation Vijay, by the Indian Army to evict the intruders from the Indian areas. The army quickly mobilized its forces to drive out the Pakistani infiltrators from Indian territory. Sub Sumer Singh's 2 Raj Rif battalion, under the command of Lt Col MB Ravindranath, which was part of 81 Mountain Brigade in the Lolab valley was inducted into the Drass area on 04 June 1999. The battalion was functioning under the command of 56 Mtn Bde, with overall operational control being exercised by 8 Mtn Div under Maj Gen Mohinder Puri. The Tololing Heights was the deepest penetration beyond the LC by the Pakistani intruders. Tololing and another feature named Point 4590 were among the vital peaks for India, as they overlooked the Drass sector and a large section of the National Highway.  The task of capturing the Tololing feature was assigned to 56 Mtn Bde. The Tololing feature comprised Pt 4590, Tololing Top, South East Spur, South Spur, and Hump to its north. Pt 4590 and Tololing Top dominated all the approaches leading to it. As per the plan of attack of 56 Mtn Bde, 2 Raj Rif was tasked to capture the Tololing top by 0600 Hr on 13 June 1999. 18 Garh Rif battalion was to capture Pt 5140 by 0700 hrs on 13 June. Two companies of 18 Grenadiers were to provide a firm base and the balance of the battalion was to act as reserve to 2 Raj Rif.  

When the battalion launched the attack on 12 June 1999 at 2030 hrs, Sub Sumer Singh was part of the "Charlie Company" team led by Major Vivek Gupta. Sub Sumer Singh Rathore was functioing as the Mortar Fire Controller for Charlie Company during the assault. During the attack, he saw Sub Bhawar Lal, platoon Commander, with the leading section falling, after being hit by the enemy's light Machine Gun bursts. Seeing Maj Vivek Gupta also coming under heavy enemy fire and his party being heavily outnumbered Sub Sumer Singh took charge of a section and led it from a flank. Under his command, his section brought down heavy and accurate fire on the enemy. During the charge he was hit by a volley of bullets in the abdomen. Despite being grievously wounded he continued to fire at the enemy and encouraging his men led the charge on to the dominating enemy bunker, destroying it by lobbing grenades before finally succumbing to injuries. It was his valiant action beyond the call of duty that facilitated the advance of the company and ultimately resulted in the capture of the heavily held enemy position. Besides Sub Sumer Singh, one officer, one JCO (Junior Commissioned Officers), and six other soldiers of 2 Raj Rif were martyred during the operation. The other martyred brave hearts included their leader Major Vivek Gupta, Sub Bhanwar Lal, CHM Yashvir Singh Tomar, Hav Sultan Singh Narwaria, Nk Chaman Singh, Nk Surendra Singh, Rfn Bachan Singh, and Rfn Jasvir Singh. 

Sub Sumer Singh Rathore was awarded “Sena Medal” posthumously for his commendable bravery, indomitable fighting spirit and supreme sacrifice. Sub Sumer Singh Rathore is survived by his wife Smt Kamla Kanwar, son Shri Narender Singh & Shri Himat Singh and daughter Ms Anita Kumari.

The Citation for "Sena Medal" awarded to him reads:

Subedar Sumer Singh Rathore was the Mortar Fire Controller for Charlie Company during the assault on tooling a fortified enemy position at 15,000 feet. During the attack, he saw Sub Bhawar Lal, platoon Commander, with the leading section falling, after being hit by the enemy's light Machine Gun bursts. Seeing Maj Vivek Gupta also coming under heavy enemy fire and his party being heavily outnumbered Subedar Sumer Singh took charge of a section and led it from a flank. Under his command, his section brought down heavy and accurate fire on the enemy. During the charge he was hit by a volley of bullets in the abdomen. In spite of being grievously wounded he continued to fire at the enemy and encouraging his men led the charge on to the dominating enemy bunker, destroying it by lobbing grenades before finally succumbing to injuries. It was his valiant action beyond the call of duty that facilitated the advance of the company and ultimately resulted in the capture of the heavily held enemy position.

The Junior Commissioned Officer displayed rare courage in the face of the enemy and laid down his life in richest tradition of the Indian Army.