Kanavdeep Singh, KC

Biography

Lieutenant Kanavdeep Singh hailed from Amritsar in Punjab and was the son of Shri Sukhwant Singh and Smt Rajbeer Kaur. Drawn towards the Armed Forces from a young age, he completed a B.Sc. (Honours) degree in Chemistry from Guru Nanak Dev University before being selected through the Combined Defence Services Examination. In January 2001 he was commissioned into the 10th Battalion of the Sikh Regiment, an infantry regiment renowned for its gallant soldiers and distinguished battle honours. After completing his training, Lt Kanavdeep was posted to the Kashmir valley on his first assignment, where he quickly earned a reputation as a fearless soldier and a fine officer. Popularly known as "Lt KD" among his colleagues, he was liked and respected across his battalion. By 2003 his unit was deployed in the Baramulla district of Jammu & Kashmir, engaged in regular counter-insurgency and counter-infiltration operations as part of Operation Parakram. On 23 September 2003, Lt Kanavdeep was leading a platoon on a search and destroy operation in the Gurez Sector when a patrol party of the Ladakh Scouts was ambushed by terrorists, leaving two soldiers wounded and others trapped under heavy fire. Without waiting for orders, he immediately diverted his platoon to rescue the trapped patrol. As his men closed in, they came under effective fire from a second group of terrorists concealed in an inaccessible natural cave. Disregarding his own safety, he shot and killed one terrorist. Noticing that his rocket launcher detachment could not fire under the intense enemy fire, he moved forward and was wounded. Despite his injuries, he crawled to the detachment and fired the rocket launcher, killing a second terrorist in close combat and injuring a third. Having suffered excessive blood loss, he succumbed to his injuries. For his conspicuous bravery, leadership and supreme sacrifice, Lt Kanavdeep Singh was awarded the Kirti Chakra.