Ajay Kumar Singh

Biography

Sepoy Ajay Kumar Singh Naruka was born on 19 October 1997 in Bhainsawata Kalan village, Buhana Tehsil, Jhunjhunu district, Rajasthan. He came from a proud military family and was a third-generation soldier — both his grandfather and his father, Kamal Singh, had served in the Indian Army. He completed his schooling at Rakesh Academy in Pilani and pursued higher education at B.K. Birla Institute of Engineering & Technology, Pilani. Although he had secured a promising job in a reputed company, his passion for serving the nation outweighed personal career aspirations, and he chose to leave it to follow in the footsteps of his forefathers. His perseverance bore fruit when, at the age of 20, he was selected to join the Indian Army in September 2018 and was recruited into the prestigious Rajput Regiment. After rigorous training, Sepoy Ajay Kumar Singh adapted quickly to the demanding life of a soldier, honing his combat skills through numerous training exercises and operational deployments. By July 2024 he was serving with the 10 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion, a specialised counter-insurgency unit operating under the Delta Force in the Doda district of Jammu & Kashmir. On 15 July 2024, acting on intelligence about hardcore terrorists in the area, his unit launched a Cordon and Search Operation with the Jammu & Kashmir Police Special Operations Group in the Dhari Gote Urarbagi area of the Desa forest belt, around 55 km from Doda town. Amid dense forest, steep slopes and heavy rain, the troops made contact with heavily armed militants who opened indiscriminate fire. In the fierce exchange that followed, Sepoy Ajay Kumar Singh advanced courageously to pin down the terrorists and prevent their escape. He was critically wounded during the sustained firefight and, fighting until his last breath, made the supreme sacrifice at the age of 26. For his commendable courage, devotion to duty and supreme sacrifice, he was awarded the Mention-in-Despatches posthumously on 25 January 2025.