Gursev Singh

Biography

Naik Gursev Singh hailed from Haryana. Like many youngsters from the state, he was drawn to the Armed Forces from an early age and nurtured a deep passion for serving the nation in uniform. After completing his initial schooling, he was selected and joined the Indian Army. He was recruited into the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), the arm responsible for the design, development, trial, inspection, repair and refit of the weapon systems and equipment of the Indian Army. By September 2024, Naik Gursev Singh's EME battalion was deployed at Binagudi in West Bengal, providing technical expertise in the repair and maintenance of equipment and weapon systems to several units under its Command Headquarters. This duty frequently required personnel to move across remote, rugged mountainous terrain marked by extreme weather, narrow roads and steep gradients that posed serious challenges to troop movement. On 5 September 2024, Naik Gursev Singh was assigned an operational task as part of a team led by Subedar K Thangapandi, which required a move by road to a location in Sikkim. The party set off from Pedong, a small town in Kalimpong district, that morning, bound for Zuluk, a village along the historic Silk Route. As the vehicle carrying Naik Gursev Singh and three other soldiers proceeded, a sudden downpour rendered the roads slick and treacherous. Despite the efforts of the driver, Sepoy Pradeep Patel, the relentless rain and steep incline proved too much, and the vehicle veered off the road, plunging some 700 to 800 feet into a deep gorge near Dalopchand Dara along the Rhenock–Rongli route. All four soldiers were critically injured and, despite a swift Army rescue effort and evacuation to a field hospital, succumbed to their injuries. A committed and professionally competent soldier, Naik Gursev Singh laid down his life in the line of duty.