Yogambar Singh

Biography

Rifleman Yogambar Singh hailed from Sankari village in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The son of Shri Virendra Singh Bhandari and Smt Janaki Devi, he was inclined towards the Army from his younger days and realised his ambition in 2015, enlisting at the age of 21. He was recruited into the 17 Garhwal Rifles battalion of the Garhwal Rifles Regiment, an infantry regiment renowned for its brave soldiers and a rich history of battle honours. After a few years of service, he was later deputed to the 48 Rashtriya Rifles battalion, deployed in Jammu & Kashmir for counter-insurgency operations. In October 2021, Rifleman Yogambar Singh's unit was operating in the Poonch district of J&K, an area made highly volatile by frequent ceasefire violations along the nearby Line of Control and persistent attempts at infiltration. Acting on intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists, security forces including troops of 48 RR launched a search-and-destroy operation in the Nar Khas forest area of the Mendhar sector. Rifleman Yogambar Singh was part of the assault team. The team soon made contact with the terrorists, who opened fire on being challenged, triggering a fierce gun battle with heavy exchange of fire. As the cordon around the terrorists was tightened, they fired indiscriminately in a desperate bid to break out. During the heavy cross-firing, Rifleman Yogambar Singh was hit by gunshots and gravely wounded. He later succumbed to his injuries, laying down his life at the age of 27 in the line of duty. A gritty and valiant soldier, he made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation.