Azad Singh, SM

Biography

Lance Naik Azad Singh hailed from Mumtazpur village in the Pataudi tehsil of Gurgaon district, Haryana. Born on 04 May 1969, he completed his schooling before joining the Indian Army in January 1988 at the age of 19. He was enrolled into the 8 Jat Battalion of the Jat Regiment, an infantry regiment renowned for its gallant soldiers and long history of battle exploits. By 1999 he had served over ten years and risen to the rank of Lance Naik. During the Kargil War, his unit was deployed in Jammu & Kashmir along the Line of Control as part of Operation Vijay, under the 28 Infantry Division. Lance Naik Azad Singh was part of a team tasked with dominating a 17,000-foot feature close to the LoC over extremely difficult terrain. On 08 July 1999, his team scaled a steep cliff using mountaineering equipment despite heavy machine gun, mortar and artillery fire, and after a fierce battle captured the post. That same night, under the cover of darkness and fog, the enemy counterattacked with intense shelling. A shell landed near Azad Singh, and the explosion claimed his life. He was awarded the Sena Medal posthumously for his gallantry, devotion to duty and supreme sacrifice.