I Nanda Chand Singha, SM

Biography

Gunner I Nanda Chand Singha hailed from Awang Leikai village in the Lakhipur tehsil of Cachar district, Assam. He was the son of Shri I Ketmani Singh and Smt. I Benda Devi. After completing his early education, he joined the Indian Army in February 1996 at the age of nineteen and was enrolled into 315 Field Regiment of the Regiment of Artillery. Following his training, he was deployed in the disturbed Jammu and Kashmir region. During the Kargil War, 315 Field Regiment, under the command of Colonel NA Subramanyan, became the first artillery unit to be deployed at Dras. It provided crucial fire support to infantry units including 1 Naga, 8 Sikh, 17 Jat and 16 Grenadiers as they captured key positions such as Tololing, Point 5140, Black Tooth, Tiger Hill and Point 4875 (Gun Hill). On the evening of 2 July 1999, while operating a gun and relentlessly bombarding enemy positions to support advancing infantry, Gunner Singha was gravely wounded by enemy shell fire and soon succumbed to his injuries at the age of 22. For his exemplary bravery, devotion to duty and supreme sacrifice, he was posthumously awarded the Sena Medal.