Govind Singh, SM

Biography

Lance Naik Govind Singh hailed from Uttarakhand and was born into a family with a strong military tradition. He was the third member of his family to serve in the Army, following his father Pratap Singh and elder brother Mahendra Singh. He served with the 9th Parachute Regiment, an elite unit renowned for its courage and daring operations. After thirteen years of service in the conflict zones of Jammu and Kashmir, he had become a battle-hardened and dedicated soldier with wide experience of counter-insurgency operations. In October 2015, security forces received intelligence that nearly 300 terrorists were waiting near the border to infiltrate the Kashmir Valley, with suspicious movement observed along the Line of Control in the Krishna Ghati sector of the Poonch region. On the evening of 13 October, 9 Para launched an operation involving a series of ambushes backed by dominating patrols. Lance Naik Govind manned one such ambush site through the night. On 14 October, when challenged, the infiltrators opened fire. In the fierce exchange, Govind and his comrades eliminated at least five Pakistani terrorists. While trying to save a fellow soldier, he was hit by three bullets, one striking his head. Evacuated and airlifted to the military hospital at Udhampur, he succumbed to his injuries. For his exceptional valour, he was awarded the Sena Medal.