Saraj Singh

Biography

Sepoy Saraj Singh hailed from Baribra village in the Shahjahanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. The youngest of three brothers, he came from a family steeped in military tradition — both his elder brothers, Gurpreet Singh and Sukhbir Singh, were serving soldiers posted in Kashmir in 2021. Inspired by their example, Saraj Singh joined the army in 2015 at the age of 20 and was recruited into the 11 Sikh battalion of the Sikh Regiment, an infantry regiment renowned for its gallant soldiers and numerous battle honours. After serving with his parent unit, he was later deputed to the 16 Rashtriya Rifles battalion, deployed in Jammu & Kashmir for counter-insurgency operations. During 2021, his unit was operating in the volatile Poonch sector along the Line of Control, an area frequently exploited by terrorists for infiltration under cover of artillery fire or Border Action Teams. Acting on intelligence about the presence of four to five hardcore terrorists around Surankote in the Poonch–Rajouri belt, the security forces launched a search and cordon operation on the morning of 11 October 2021, and Sepoy Saraj Singh was part of the team assigned this task. The operation, which began in the forested Chamrer area of Surankote, spread by evening towards the adjoining Bhangai village near Dera Ki Gali. As the advancing troops closed in, a fierce gun battle erupted with the cornered terrorists. In the heavy exchange of fire, Sepoy Saraj Singh and four comrades — Naib Subedar Jaswinder Singh, Sepoy Gajjan Singh, Naik Mandeep Singh and Sepoy Vaisakh H — were struck by gunfire and gravely wounded, later succumbing to their injuries. Sepoy Saraj Singh laid down his life in the service of the nation at the age of 26.