Havildar Amrik Singh

Havildar Amrik Singh hailed from  Gannu Mandwal village of Una district in Himachal Pradesh and was born in the year 1982. Son of Shri Dharampal Singh and Smt Usha Devi, he had two brothers Amarjeet Singh and Hardeep Singh as his siblings. He was fascinated with army life like many youngsters of his village and nursed a dream of joining the army since his childhood. Consequently following his cream, he joined the army after completing his school education in the year 2001 at the age of 19 years. He was recruited into the 14 Dogra Battalion of the Dogra Regiment, an infantry regiment known for its gallant soldiers and numerous battle honours. 

Soon he developed into a dedicated soldier with commendable soldierly skills.  Besides being a committed soldier, he was a keen sportsman and specially excelled in wrestling. He also served as an instructor in the Regimental centre, training the young soldiers of his Regiment. After serving for a few years, he got married to Ms Ruchi and the couple was blessed with a son Abhinav. By 2023, he had put in around 22 years of service in the Army and had been promoted to the rank of Havildar.

Machhal sector Operation (J&K) : 10 Jan 2023

During Jan 2023, Hav Amrik Singh’s unit 14 Dogra was deployed in the Kupwara district of J&K. The unit troops besides manning the forward posts, were also engaged in counter-infiltration operations. The posts of the unit were located in high-altitude areas with inhospitable terrain and extreme weather conditions. In addition to manning the stationary posts, the unit launched regular armed patrols to monitor the area between the posts.  On 10 Jan 2023, Hav Amrik Singh along with Nb Sub Parshotam Kumar and Sepoy Amit Sharma were tasked to take over one of the forward posts falling in the AOR(Area of Responsibility) of the unit in Machhal Sector. Hav Amrik Singh and his comrades set off for the post on the planned route in the evening of 10 Jan. 

The tracks to the forward posts passed through difficult terrain, dotted by sides with deep gorges and crevices. The soldiers had to exercise extreme caution while treading on these tracks. As Hav Amrik Singh and other soldiers were moving towards the forward post, at about 5:30 PM in Machhal Sector, the snow along the narrow track gave way. As a result, the soldiers lost their balance suddenly and slipped into a deep gorge. Consequently, the soldiers got throwdown onto the rocks and sustained serious injuries.  A rescue operation was launched by the unit, but the extreme weather conditions impeded the operation to extricate the soldiers. Hav Amrik Singh and his comrades Nb Sub Parshotam Kumar & Sepoy Amit Sharma, could not survive and were martyred. Eventually, the bodies of the martyrs were recovered on 11 Jan 2023. Hav Amrik Singh was a brave and determined soldier, who laid down his life at the age of 31 years in the line of his duty.

Hav Amrik Singh is survived by his father Shri Dharampal Singh, mother Smt Usha Devi, wife Smt  Ruchi, son Abhinav and brothers Shri Amarjeet Singh and Shri Hardeep Singh.