A lot is being said about Gurmehar Kaur, a Kargil martyr’s daughter, after she protested against the ABVP for creating ruckus at the Ramjas college over a seminar where Umar Khalid was invited. Threats have been issued to her, he has had to pull out of protests in the wake of the same. Amid this hue and cry, do you remember who her father was?
Captain Mandeep Singh was a part of the Rashtriya Rifles camp which came under militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir on August 6, 1999. He was among the seven soldiers who lost their lives trying to defend the camp. The Battle Casualty Report of Capt Mandeep Singh states that he was serving in the counter-insurgency operation, Rakshak, in J&K.
Captain Singh was commissioned in 1991 in the 49 Army Air Defence Regiment and was serving with 4 Rashtriya Rifles battalion when he died in the attack on his camp. His battalion was under the 7 Sector Rashtriya Rifles, which further came under the command of Victor Force.
The attack by militants took place in village Chak Nutnusa in Kupwara district. His Battle Casualty Report accessed by The Indian Express states that he was the was “commander of the company which came under ‘anti-national elements’ fire assault on the post. During the encounter at approximately 1.15 am on August 6, 1999, he received splinter injury on the left infraclavicular region and was declared dead on the spot.”
Speaking to The Indian Express, Brigadier Ashwini Kumar (retd), former Commanding Officer of 3 Rashtriya Rifles battalion, said that Capt Singh was a spirited and dedicated young officer, and was well regarded by his commanding officer. Brig Sharma was serving in the area when the attack on Capt Singh’s company headquarters took place.
Backing her daughter, Captain Singh’s wife Rajvinder Kaur, said she is upset at the manner in which her family has been thrown into the spotlight. Rajvinder Kaur works with the Excise and Taxation Department of the Punjab government.
