Raviselvan P

Biography

Havildar Raviselvan P served with the 18 Engineering Regiment of the Corps of Engineers, one of the oldest arms of the Indian Army, tracing its origins to the Madras Sappers of 1780. His unit specialised in the construction of bridges and tracks, providing mobility to the Army in difficult terrain. In 2005, the regiment, based at Chandimandir in Punjab, was tasked with rebuilding four bridges — at Kharo, Khab, Leo and Akpa — that had been washed away in the flooding of the Parechu Lake. These bridges were vital lifelines connecting the upper regions of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti. In September 2005 his team took up the reconstruction of the bridge at Kharo on National Highway 22, the Hindustan-Tibet Road. On 8 September 2005, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Amardeep Singh, Havildar Raviselvan and 40 other soldiers began the operation. After the bridge was successfully launched, the men were fixing wooden slabs on the iron beams of the 80-tonne, 60-metre span when it suddenly collapsed from the middle, likely due to a technical failure. Most of the soldiers plunged into the swift waters of the Sutlej. A brave and devoted soldier, Havildar Raviselvan laid down his life in the line of duty.