3 July, 1999: Saluting the Kargil War Hero, Maha Vir Chakra Awardee Lieutenant Balwan Singh
03 Jul 2023 15:47:48
Known as the Tiger of Tiger Hill, Lieutenant Balwan Singh was responsible for the recapture of Tiger Hill in 1999’s Kargil War. At 25, he led soldiers of the Ghatak platoon through a steep, treacherous path on 12-hour journey to reach the hilltop. The assault took the enemy by surprise as India was not expected to take such a difficult route. He planted the Indian tricolour atop the Tiger Hill and was later awarded the Mahavir Chakra for his bravery.
Balwan Singh was born on 17 October, 1973 in Sasrauli village in Jhajjar district of Haryana. An alumnus of Sainik School, he was commissioned from the OTA on 6 March 1999 into 18 Grenadiers with the service number SS-37691. He had completed just four months of service when the Kargil War broke out.
3 July, 1999
On 03 July 1999, Lieutenant Balwan Singh with his Ghatak Platoon was tasked to assault the Tiger Hill Top from the North Eastern direction as part of a multi pronged attack. The route to the objective, situated at a height of 16500 feet, was snowbound and interspersed with crevasses and sheer falls.
The officer, with just four months service, set about his task with single-minded determination. The team, led and exhorted by him, moved for over twelve hours along a very difficult and precarious route and under intense artillery shelling to reach the designated spur.
This move took the enemy by complete surprise as his team used cliff assault mountaineering equipment to reach the top with stealth. On seeing the Ghataks, the enemy panicked and in a desperate firefight attempted to repulse the Ghataks. In the ensuing firefight, Lieutenant Balwan Singh was himself seriously injured. Though injured, Lieutenant Balwan Singh's resolve to finish the enemy remained unshaken. He refused to be evacuated and unmindful of his injury, moved swiftly to encircle the enemy and engaged them in close combat and single handedly he killed four enemy soldiers. The remaining enemy personnel opted to flee rather than face the fury of the fierce officer.
The officer’s unparalleled courage under enemy fire and determination led to capturing Tiger Hill, the most important objective of our troops in Operation Vijay. For his acts of bravery in the Kargil War, he was awarded with Maha Vir Chakra.