Lance Naik Ruchin Singh Rawat

Lance Naik Ruchin Singh Rawat hailed from Kunigad Malli village in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand and was born in the year 1992. Son of Shri Rajendra Singh Rawat, Lance Naik Ruchin Singh had a sister and a brother as his siblings. After completing his initial education he joined the army in the year 2009 at the age of 17 years. He was recruited into the Naga Regiment and after briefly serving with his parent unit, he volunteered to become a commando. Eventually after completing the rigorous training, he became a para commando and joined 9 Para (SF) battalion of the Parachute Regiment, an elite infantry Regiment well known for its daredevil para commandos and numerous bold operations.

After serving for few years, he got married to Ms Kalpana Devi, and the couple was blessed with a son Harshit. He actively participated in all community activities in the village and was a source of inspiration to village youth. He encouraged the village youth to join the Armed Forces and offered guidance and help whenever needed. By 2023, he had put in around 12 years of service and had been promoted to the rank of Lance Naik.

Rajouri Operation (J&K) : 03-05 May 2023

During May 2023, L/Nk Ruchin Singh Rawat‘s unit 9 Para(SF) battalion was deployed in the Rajouri 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. Following specific input about the presence of terrorists in the Kandi Forest in Rajouri district, a joint operation was launched on 03 May 2023. The terrorists belonged to the group that was involved in an ambush on an army truck in Poonch district on 20 April 2023. L/Nk Ruchin Singh Rawat was part of the team that was assigned the task. 

The search operation continued for several hours and at about 0730 hours on 05 May 2023, the search team established contact with a group of terrorists well entrenched in a cave. The area around the cave was thickly vegetated with rocky and steep cliffs. The terrorists felt threatened and opened fire at the troops who then retaliated. A fierce gun battle ensued thereafter The joint force deployed drones, and sniffer dogs and hit the cave hideout with heavy mortar fire and grenades. The terrorists were heavily armed and taking advantage of the safe place triggered an explosive device in retaliation. The resultant explosion had a devastating effect and many soldiers got severely injured. The injured soldiers including an officer were immediately shifted to the Command Hospital at Udhampur for medical treatment. However L/Nk Ruchin Singh Rawat and four other soldiers soon succumbed to their injuries and were martyred. Besides L/Nk Ruchin Singh Rawat, the other martyred brave hearts included Hav Neelam Singh, Naik Arvind Kumar, Paratrooper Siddhant Chettri, and Paratrooper Pramod Negi. L/Nk Ruchin Singh Rawat was a valiant and gritty soldier, who laid down his life at the very young age of 30 years in the service of the nation.

Lance Naik Ruchin Singh Rawat is survived by his wife Smt Kalpana Devi and son Harshit.