Lance Naik Debashish Baswal

Lance Naik Debashish Baswal hailed from Algum village in Satyabadi Tehsil of Puri District in Odisha and was born in the year 1994. Son of Shri Pratap Biswal, he had a brother Debaprasad as his sibling. He wanted to serve in the Armed Forces since his childhood and eventually joined the Indian Army after completing his school education. He was recruited into the 199 Med Regt of the Regiment of Artillery, an important combat support arm of the Indian Army well known for its booming field guns. 

After serving for sometime he got married to Ms Sangeeta in 2022 and the couple was blessed with a daughter. Later he was deputed to serve with the 49 RR Battalion, deployed in J&K for counter-insurgency operations. By the year 2023, he had served in various operational areas and had been promoted to the rank of Lance Naik.

 Poonch Terrorist Attack (J& K): 20 Apr 2023

During 2023, L/Nk Debashish Baswal‘s unit 49 RR battalion was deployed in the Poonch district of J&K. The unit troops were engaged in operations against the terrorists on a regular basis as the unit's area of responsibility (AOR) was active with militancy. The volatility of its AOR demanded 'high alert' at all times on the part of the troops. The area was also prone to infiltration, which necessitated regular armed patrols to check any infiltration from across the border. The battalion followed strict SOPs(Standard Operating Procedures) while moving its men and material by deploying road-opening teams to conduct sanitization of the area. On 20 Apr 2023, L/Nk Debashish Baswal and a few other soldiers were detailed to move to Sangiot from Bhimber Gali in Poonch district for an operational task. After clearance by the road-opening party (ROP), as planned L/Nk Debashish Baswal and his comrades set off for Sangiot in the afternoon of 20 Apr.

However, at around 1500 hrs, when their vehicle reached Bhata Dhurian, just a few kilometers from LOC, they came under attack by the terrorists. It was a pre-planned move by the terrorists who apparently had done the reconnaissance of the area and planned to attack at the time of their choosing. The heavily armed group of terrorists used grenades, automatic weapons, and sticky bombs too, in an attempt to cause maximum damage. The army truck carrying the soldiers was fired upon from three sides, with the terrorists taking advantage of poor visibility and bad weather conditions. The attack was so sudden and ferocious that L/Nk Debashish Baswal and his comrades did not have adequate time to take any action. The vehicle also caught fire after a targeted attack on its fuel tank. The resultant fire entrapped the soldiers and they got severely injured.  As a result L/Nk Debashish Baswal and four other soldiers soon succumbed to their injuries and were martyred.  Besides L/Nk Debashish Baswal, the other martyred brave hearts included, Hav Mandeep Singh, Lance Naik Kulwant Singh, Sep Harkrishan Singh, and Sep Sewak Singh. L/Nk Debashish Baswal was a brave and committed soldier, who laid down his life at the age of 28 years in the line of his duty. L/Nk Debashish Baswal was awarded 'Mention-in-Despatches" (Posthumously) for his commendable courage, devotion to duty and supreme sacrifice.

Lance Naik Debashish Baswal is survived by his wife Smt Sangeeta Baswal and a daughter.