Hameer Singh Pokhriyal

Biography

Rifleman Hameer Singh Pokhriyal served with the Garhwal Rifles regiment before being deputed to 36 Rashtriya Rifles battalion, which was deployed for counter-terrorism operations in Jammu & Kashmir. During 2018 his battalion was operating in the remote Gurez Sector of Bandipora district, roughly 125 km from Srinagar. The area is heavily militarised, with troops manning hilltop posts along the Line of Control to guard against infiltration; the terrain remains snow-covered even in summer. Around 1 a.m. on the night of 6 August 2018, a group of about eight heavily armed terrorists exploited the darkness to attempt infiltration into Indian territory near Govind Nala in the Bakhtor area. Alert soldiers spotted the unusual movement and challenged the infiltrators coming in from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Rifleman Hameer Singh and his comrades engaged the intruders, and in the fierce firefight that followed two terrorists were killed. During the heavy exchange of fire, Rifleman Hameer Singh was gravely wounded along with his fellow soldiers. He was evacuated to the 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar, but succumbed to his injuries on 7 August 2018, making the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation.