Ajit Singh, VrC, SM

Biography

Havildar Ajit Singh was born on 7th January 1952 in Punsika village of Rewari district, Haryana, the son of Shri Dalip Singh. He joined the Army on 6th July 1972 at the age of twenty and was inducted into the Parachute Regiment, the elite arm of the Army trained for special operations. He later became part of 10 Para (SF), a unit specially trained for desert warfare and known as the "Desert Scorpions". By 1989 he had accumulated some seventeen years of service across diverse and demanding operational environments. During the operations of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka, his unit was deployed against the LTTE as part of Operation Pawan. On 28th August 1989, as part of a planned air assault by 10 Para (SF) into the coastal swamps around Mullaitivu, Havildar Ajit Singh served as one of the Squad commanders of 3 Troop of the Alfa Assault Team. Number 3 Troop, located at Alampil, was tasked with a search-and-destroy mission along the Alampil–Mullaitivu road, and his squad, equipped with a rocket launcher, was deployed on the flank to cover the troop's movement. When the troop came under small arms and rocket fire in a militant ambush, Havildar Ajit Singh returned fire immediately. Assessing that the enemy strength and position were formidable, he redeployed his squad on the flank to encircle them and brought down continuous, effective fire that diverted the militants' attention and eased the pressure on the rest of the troop. When the rocket launcher detachment commander was killed and a paratrooper wounded, he himself picked up the rocket launcher and commenced firing. In the process he received a bullet in the chest and was martyred. Already a Sena Medal awardee, he was posthumously awarded the Vir Chakra for his conspicuous courage, leadership and supreme sacrifice.