Two Indian Army officers and a Deputy Superintendent of Police were killed in an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kokernag area of Anantnag district on Wednesday. One of the brave hearts was Colonel Manpreet Singh of 19 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) Battalion.
He was the commanding officer (CO) of 19 Rashtriya Rifles battalion and led the joint operation of Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir police against the Pakistani terrorists hiding in dense Kokernag forests.
As Singh and others were closing in, the terrorists opened fire. Singh and two others sustained bullet injuries in the gun battle. They were later airlifted to a Srinagar hospital but succumbed to their injuries.
Who was Colonel Manpreet Singh?
A highly decorated officer of the Indian Army, Manpreet Singh hailed from Bharonjian, a small village in Punjab on the outskirts of Chandigarh. He was currently posted in Kashmir with the Rashtriya Rifle and his tenure was about to end in four months.
Singh is survived by his mother, wife Jagmeet Grewal and two children – a six-year-old son and two-year-old daughter. His father, who died a few years ago, was also a retired Indian Army veteran. At present, Singh’s family is living in DLF, New Chandigarh.
In 2021, Manpreet Singh was decorated with the Sena Medal for Gallantry when he was a Lieutenant Colonel with the RR.
He had completed around 17 years of service in the army. He was known for his unconventional approach and established cordial relations with locals. His battalion used to organize volleyball matches with locals in Anantnag.
On September 9, just four days before his death, a volleyball championship was organized in which he also took part.