Service No: 4073611
Birth Place : Dehradun, Uttarakhand
Service: Army
Last Rank: Havaldar
Unit : 51 SAG
Arm/Regt: The Parachute Regiment
Operation: Op Black Tornado
Award : Ashoka Chakra
Date of Martyrdom : Nov 28, 2008
Hav Gajendra Singh Bisht AC
Hav Gajendra Singh Bisht hailed from Ganeshpur in Uttarakhand. He studied at the Janata Inter College in Naya Gaon and is remembered by his teachers as a disciplined student who participated in every event organized in the school, be it sports or cultural activities. Hav Gajendra Singh had joined the Garhwal Rifles in 1991 and then chose to be part of the 10 Para (Special Force). Hav Gajendra also took an active part in the Kargil operations in 1999. Though Hav Gajendra was a trained Commando of the special forces of the Indian Army, he was deputed to serve in the elite Special Action Group of the National security Guards.
Operation Black Tornado: Nov 2008
On the night of 26 November 2008, several iconic buildings in South Mumbai were attacked. The Jewish center of Nariman House was also attacked by the terrorists and they took many innocent people as hostages at this international center and their trauma continued for two days. Hav Gajendra Singh was a member of the National Security Guard’s 51 Special Action Group which was given the responsibility of dealing with this monumental crisis. He was part of the team of NSG commandos, who were airdropped from a helicopter on the roof of Nariman House in an operation to neutralize the terrorists, who were holding a number of people as hostages.
The team led by Hav Gajendra Singh extricated 14 civilians who were transported to safer places. After the roof was cleared Hav Gajendra Singh moved to the position where the terrorists had positioned themselves to engage the assault team. Hav Gajendra Singh then spotted one terrorist trying to flee and fired at him. Another terrorist hurled a grenade at him wounding him seriously. Undeterred, Hav Gajendra Singh realized that the team had to seize this opportunity to dominate and continued moving ahead. He didn’t turn his back to the militants and created a way for the other commandos despite being injured. He kept moving forward and firing at the terrorists till he succumbed to his injuries. Hav Gajendra Singh’s courageous act and unyielding spirit motivated his comrades to eliminate all the terrorists and complete the mission successfully.
Hav Gajendra Singh was given the nation’s highest peacetime gallantry award “Ashok Chakra” for his exceptional bravery, indomitable spirit, and supreme sacrifice.
Hav Gajendra Singh is survived by his wife Vinita Devi, daughter Preeti and son Gaurav.
The citation for the Ashoka Chakra awarded to him reads:
Havildar Gajendra Singh was leading his squad in the operation on 27th November 2008 to rescue hostages from the terrorists at Nariman House, Mumbai. After clearing the top floor of the terrorists, he reached the place where the terrorists had taken the position. As he closed in, the terrorists hurled a grenade injuring him. Undeterred, he kept firing and closing in on the terrorists by exposing himself to the hostile fire. In the act, he injured one of the terrorists and forced the others to retreat inside a room. He continued the encounter till he succumbed to his injuries. Havildar Gajendra Singh displayed most conspicuous courage against grave odds and made the supreme sacrifice for the nation in combating the terrorist.
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Source
- http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/the-last-salute/392797/
- http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/nov/12/anniversary-26-11-the-nsg-commandos-quiet-widow.htm
- http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/-he-had-always-wanted-to-die-a-hero-s-death-/392346/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havaldar_Gajender_Singh
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Shashi
2017 at 5:23 pmSalute sir…
Your sacrifice will always be remembered sir…
JAI HIND
Prashant dabral
2020 at 1:26 pmJai hind sahab. Badri vishal lal ki jai. Indomitable Garhwali soldiers.
Prateek Bansal
2021 at 5:23 pmThank you for your service, Sir. Your indomitable spirit to continue your offence against terrorists despite being injured is a sign of true bravery. I vividly remember the unfortunate events of 2008 Mumbai attacks, where soldiers such as yourself made the biggest sacrifice to protect the citizens for multiple days at end. Your bravery will forever inspire us.