Sunder Singh Negi

Biography

Sepoy Sunder Singh Negi hailed from Katkot village in the Narendra Nagar tehsil of Tehri Garhwal district, in present-day Uttarakhand. Born on 10 July 1967 to Shri Murti Singh Negi and Smt. Mangala Devi, he grew up in a humble, close-knit family. After completing his schooling, he resolved to pursue a career in the armed forces, driven by a desire to contribute meaningfully to the nation's defence. Answering the call of duty, he joined the Indian Army and was inducted into the 1st Battalion of the Naga Regiment, an infantry unit known for its courage and battlefield excellence. Within the regiment he earned the respect of peers and superiors through his discipline, steadfast commitment, and devotion to the ideals of the Army. During the Kargil conflict of 1999, 1 Naga was redeployed on 11 May from the Kangan Valley to the embattled Drass sector, coming under the 121 Infantry Brigade. As part of a three-direction assault on the pivotal Point 5140, Alpha Company of 1 Naga was tasked with capturing two subsidiary crags code-named "Pyramid" and "Black Tooth." At dusk on 22 July, the company began clawing up an almost vertical rock face, where the advance stalled under heavy tracer fire from camouflaged sangars. Recognizing that a fixed rope was the only way forward, Sepoy Sunder Singh volunteered, alongside Sepoy K Ashuli, to lead the route. Ignoring lethal fire, he scaled roughly fourteen metres of bare rock, secured the rope, and hauled up the first wave of comrades. He then charged the Black Tooth sangar, his light-machine-gun bursts pinning the defenders until a grenade silenced the position. Grievously wounded in the assault, he held on long enough to radio confirmation of Black Tooth's capture before succumbing to his injuries in the early hours of 23 July 1999, at the age of 32. His selfless courage helped pave the way for the eventual capture of Point 5140.