Kehar Singh, SC

Biography

Subedar Kehar Singh hailed from Maharaj Nagar village in the Jaisinghpur tehsil of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh. The son of army veteran Havildar Birbal Singh and Smt Sandho Devi, he grew up wishing to follow in his father's footsteps and serve in the Armed Forces. Pursuing this ambition, he joined the Assam Rifles, the oldest paramilitary force of India, headquartered at Shillong. Over the years he rose steadily through the ranks, and by 2003 he had accumulated substantial service and had been promoted to the rank of Subedar. In July 2003, Subedar Kehar Singh was serving with the 33 Assam Rifles battalion deployed in the North East. As the unit's area of responsibility was affected by militancy, its troops were frequently engaged in counter-insurgency operations, launching regular patrols to monitor and check suspicious activity. The militants active in the region belonged to the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL). On 11 July 2003, acting on information from local intelligence sources, the unit launched an operation against a militant hideout, and Subedar Kehar Singh was part of the assigned team. As planned, Subedar Kehar Singh and his troops reached the suspected location in Chandel district of Manipur. As the search operation was underway, heavily armed KYKL militants attacked from positions of advantage, and a fierce gun battle broke out with heavy exchange of fire. Subedar Kehar Singh deployed his men tactically and fought with great courage and determination. During the engagement he sustained gunshot wounds and was severely injured, later succumbing to them and attaining martyrdom. For his conspicuous courage, unyielding fighting spirit and supreme sacrifice, Subedar Kehar Singh was awarded the nation's third-highest gallantry award, the Shaurya Chakra.