Rifleman Hameer Singh Pokhriyal

Rifleman Hameer Singh Pokhriyal originally hailed from Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand but the family had settled down in Gumaniwala area in Rishikesh. Son of Jayendra Singh Pokhriyal a soldier himself , Rfn Hameer Singh joined the army in the year of 2010 and was inducted into the Garhwal Rifles Regiment, a regiment known for its gallant soldiers and numerous battle exploits. 

After serving for few years with his parent unit, Rfn Hameer Singh was later deputed to serve with 36 Rashtriya Rifles battalion deployed in J & K for counterinsurgency operations. 

Gurez Sector Operation: 06 Aug 2018

During 2018, Rfn Hameer Singh’s 36 RR battalion was deployed in the Gurez sector in J & K and was engaged in counterinsurgency operations. The Gurez sector is one of the remote parts of the valley located in Bandipora district around 125 km from Srinagar. The sector is heavily militarized and soldiers are stationed on mountaintop posts to guard the Line of Control and prevent infiltration of militants. The Gurez sector is snow-covered even in summers and militants do not have long tracts of forest cover either to use as escape routes or to sneak inside LOC.

On 06 Aug, around 1 am on eight-odd heavily armed terrorists tried to infiltrate into the Indian territory near Govind Nullah in Bakhtor area taking advantage of darkness. The alert soldiers noticed the unusual movement and challenged the infiltrators moving from the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). Rfn Hameer Singh along with his comrades swung into action and engaged the militants trying to infiltrate. A fierce gun battle ensued thereafter in which two militants were killed. However, during the heavy exchange of fire Rfn Hameer Singh and two of his comrades Rifleman Mandeep Singh Rawat, Gunner Vikram Jeet Singh and Maj Kaustubh Rane got severely injured. They were shifted to the 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar but late succumbed to their injuries.

Rifleman Hameer Singh Pokhriyal displaying courage and devotion to duty laid down his life in the service of the nation. Rifleman Hameer Singh is survived by his wife and a daughter.