Devendra Pal Singh

Biography

Major General Devendra Pal Singh was born on 15 August 1948 in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Like many young boys from his region, he aspired from childhood to join the armed forces, and after completing his education he was selected for the Army. He was commissioned into the 15 Jat Battalion of the renowned Jat Regiment, an infantry unit widely respected for its fearless soldiers and numerous battle honours. Over the following years he served in various operational areas and matured into a fine officer with commendable soldierly skills. By 2004, having completed nearly three decades of service, he had been promoted to the rank of Major General. In October 2004, Major General DP Singh was serving as the General Officer Commanding of the 6 Mountain Division, based at Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. On 29 October 2004, he set out on a reconnaissance of his units' forward border posts aboard a Cheetah helicopter of the 23 (Independent) R&O Flight, flown by Lieutenant Colonel PK Pandey and Captain Arjun Sardana. Contact with air traffic control was lost mid-flight, and despite the pilots' experience the aircraft could not be brought under control. The helicopter crashed near the Mana Pass close to the India-China border in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. Major General DP Singh laid down his life in the service of the nation while performing his duty.