Gurnam Singh, AC

Biography

Naib Subedar Gurnam Singh was born on 18 August 1935 in Bhullar village of Amritsar district, Punjab, to Shri Tej Singh. Coming from a family with a strong military background, he was inspired by his relatives in service and aspired to join the Army from childhood. After completing his basic education, he enlisted in the Bombay Sappers as a recruit on 26 August 1955 and was appointed a Sapper after his initial training. Over the following years he served in the Depot Battalion, a training battalion, and the 22 and 23 Field Companies, before being posted as an instructor at the College of Military Engineering, Pune. On 23 September 1973, during a demonstration organised for staff and student officers of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, he was tasked with firing an explosive charge line for mine clearing under simulated battle conditions, assisted by a party of seven sappers. While setting up the charge, the tail initiator activated prematurely, threatening to detonate within seconds. Realising the danger to his men, he ordered them to run to safety and, disregarding his own life, attempted to separate the active initiator. The explosion occurred before he could stop it, and he was killed. For his exemplary courage and unwavering devotion to duty, he was awarded the Ashoka Chakra.