Mandeep Singh Rawat

Biography

Rifleman Mandeep Singh Rawat served with the Garhwal Rifles Regiment before being deputed to the 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. This heavily militarised region, snow-bound for much of the year, sees troops posted at hilltop observation posts to guard the Line of Control and thwart infiltration attempts by militants. On the night of 6 August 2018, around 1 a.m., a group of eight heavily armed terrorists exploited the darkness to attempt an infiltration into Indian territory near Govind Nala in the Bakhtor area. Alert soldiers detected the unusual movement and challenged the infiltrators coming from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Rifleman Mandeep Singh Rawat joined his comrades in engaging the enemy, and in the fierce gunfight that followed two terrorists were eliminated. During the heavy exchange of fire he was gravely wounded and was evacuated to the 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar, where he succumbed to his injuries on 7 August 2018, laying down his life in the service of the nation.