Balbir Singh, SM

Biography

Subedar Balbir Singh was born on 21 January 1959 in Dappar village, Tehsil Dera Bassi, in the SAS Nagar (Mohali) district of Punjab, the son of S. Jagir Singh and Smt Angrej Kaur. He completed his early schooling at the Government Middle School in Dappar and passed his matriculation from Government High School, Derabassi. Coming from a family with a strong tradition of military service — both an elder and a younger brother served in the Army — he nursed the ambition of donning the uniform from childhood. After matriculation, Balbir Singh was selected as a Technical Assistant for the Regiment of Artillery and enrolled on 12 September 1976, receiving his basic training at the Artillery Centre in Hyderabad. Rising steadily through the ranks of Naik, Havildar, Naib Subedar and Subedar, he further qualified as an Assistant in Gunnery. His expertise led to his selection as an Instructor at the School of Artillery, Devlali, where he imparted Bofors gun training to officers, JCOs and NCOs of the Regiment of Artillery. During 1999, Sub Balbir Singh was serving with 153 Medium Regiment, which moved to the Batalik sub-sector in early July as the Army launched Operation Vijay against Pakistani infiltration. Tasked as Gun Position Officer for a detachment of six Bofors guns, he directed devastating fire from 6 July onwards, destroying enemy guns, ammunition dumps and bunkers and breaking up assaulting advances. Even after the war officially ended, cross-border shelling continued, and on 8 August 1999 his gun position received a direct hit that killed one NCO and wounded ten soldiers. Grievously injured by splinters to the neck, he was airlifted to the Military Hospital at Srinagar, where he succumbed on 10 August 1999. For his outstanding courage and supreme sacrifice, Sub Balbir Singh was awarded the Sena Medal, posthumously.