W Peter

Biography

Craftsman W Peter hailed from Manipur. After completing his initial education, he was selected to join the Indian Army and was recruited into the Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME), the arm responsible for the design, development, trial, inspection, refit and maintenance of the weapon systems and equipment of the Indian Army. He served as a dedicated and professionally committed soldier, sustaining the operational readiness of the units in his area. In September 2024, Craftsman Peter's EME battalion was deployed at Binagudi in West Bengal, providing repair and maintenance expertise for equipment and weapon systems to several units under its controlling Command Headquarters. This work regularly required teams to move across remote, rugged mountainous terrain marked by extreme weather and narrow roads with steep gradients. On 5 September 2024, Craftsman Peter was assigned an operational task as part of a team led by Subedar K Thangapandi, which called for a road move into Sikkim. The party set off from Pedong, in the Kalimpong district, on the morning of 5 September, bound for the village of Zuluk along the historic Silk Route. As the vehicle, carrying Craftsman Peter and three comrades, made its way forward, a sudden downpour rendered the mountain road slick and treacherous. Despite the efforts of the driver, Sepoy Pradeep Patel, the vehicle lost traction on the steep incline, veered off the road and plunged some 700 to 800 feet into a deep gorge near Dalopchand Dara on the Rhenock–Rongli state route. All four soldiers were grievously injured and were rushed to a field hospital, where they later succumbed. Alongside Craftsman W Peter, Subedar K Thangapandi, Naik Gursev Singh and Sepoy Pradeep Patel were martyred, laying down their lives in the line of duty.