# Navdeep Singh (Ashoka Chakra)

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Ashoka Chakra recipient (1985–2011)

Lieutenant Navdeep Singh Shan AC Born Navdeep Singh (1985-06-08)June 8, 1985 Gurdaspur, Punjab Died 20 August 2011(2011-08-20) (aged 26) KIA in Jammu & Kashmir Allegiance India Branch Indian Army Service years 2011 Rank Lieutenant Unit Army Ordnance Corps Maratha Light Infantry Conflicts Jammu and Kashmir Insurgency Awards Ashoka Chakra Alma mater Officers Training Academy, Chennai Army Institute of Management, Kolkata (M.B.A.) Institute of Hotel Management, Gurdaspur (B.Sc.)

[Lieutenant](/source/Lieutenant) **Navdeep Singh Shan**, [AC](/source/Ashoka_Chakra_(military_decoration)) was a [Ghatak Platoon Commander](/source/Ghatak_Force) of 15 [Maratha Light Infantry](/source/Maratha_Light_Infantry) [regiment](/source/Regiment) in the [Indian Army](/source/Indian_Army).[1]

He led an operation to ambush 17 well-trained and armed terrorists who infiltrated into [Jammu and Kashmir](/source/Jammu_and_Kashmir_(state)) state. He killed 4 of the terrorists and brought an injured team member to safety before succumbing to fatal injury from close range. He was posthumously conferred the highest peacetime gallantry award of India [Ashoka Chakra](/source/Ashoka_Chakra_(military_decoration)) by [President of India](/source/President_of_India) on the 63rd [Republic Day](/source/Republic_Day_(India)).[2][3]

## Early life and education

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Born in [Gurdaspur](/source/Gurdaspur), to a [Jat Sikh](/source/Jat_Sikh) family Singh was a third-generation soldier to serve in the Indian Army. His grandfather was a [junior commissioned officer](/source/Junior_commissioned_officer) while his father Joginder Singh served as [Subedar-major](/source/Subedar-major) in the [Bengal Sappers](/source/Bengal_Engineer_Group) for 30 years and retired as Honorary [Captain](/source/Captain_(armed_forces)). He completed his schooling from Army Public School, Tibri and completed his graduation in [B.Sc.](/source/Bachelor_of_Science) in [hotel management](/source/Hotel_management) in 2006 from IHM-Gurdaspur and [post-graduation](/source/Postgraduate_education) in the [Army Institute of Management, Kolkata](/source/Army_Institute_of_Management%2C_Kolkata) in 2009, where he received his [MBA](/source/Master_of_Business_Administration) degree.

## Military career

Singh shunned a corporate career and instead joined the [Officers Training Academy](/source/Officers_Training_Academy) as a gentleman cadet. He was commissioned into the [Army Ordnance Corps](/source/Army_Ordnance_Corps_(India)), on 19 March 2011.[4] As is the custom for all the non-fighting arms of the Indian Army, officers must complete an attachment of two years with an infantry battalion in a war or counter-insurgency theatre. For the duration of these two years, the officer, for all practical purposes, belongs to the said infantry battalion.[5] Lieutenant Singh was attached to the 15 [Maratha Light Infantry](/source/Maratha_Light_Infantry) in Jammu & Kashmir in his first posting as a [commissioned officer](/source/Officer_(armed_forces)).[6]

### Ambush

On 20 August 2011, Singh planned and led the operation to kill or capture 17 armed terrorists in Gurez Sector of northern Kashmir. He set up an ambush for terrorists and ordered the team to not open the fire before he does. After waiting till terrorists were just meters away, he cornered the infiltrators before attack.[2][6][7][8] He had positioned himself in least cover point and his team behind boulders, before attacking. He shot dead three terrorists when he was wounded in the head from about five meters' distance while trying to pull an injured soldier to safety. He nevertheless killed the fourth terrorist. He managed to pull his comrade-in-arms to safety and kept firing till death.[1][9]

The encounter lasted about 8 minutes in which 12 well-trained terrorists were killed. His body taken to 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar.[6]

## Ashok Chakra award citation

Navdeep Singh's father receives the Ashok Chakra from president Pratibha Patil on 26 January 2012.

**Ashoka Chakra** **SS-44448A Lieutenant Navdeep Singh**

**Army Ordnance Corps / 15th Battalion the Maratha Light Infantry (posthumous)**

Lieutenant Navdeep Singh was Ghatak Platoon Commander of 15 Maratha Light Infantry deployed in the High Altitude Area near the Line of Control.

On receiving information about the infiltration of a group of terrorists at about 0030 hours on 20 August 2011, the officer gauged the likely route of the terrorists and laid an ambush at the appropriate spot. When the terrorists were spotted, the ambush was sprung by the officer himself. An exchange of intense fire ensued. Leading from the front, the officer eliminated three terrorists at close range. On seeing another terrorist approaching their position, with utter disregard to his personal safety, the officer swiftly changed his firing position. While doing so, he got hit by a bullet on his head. He nevertheless managed to eliminate the fourth terrorist. Further, displaying utmost bravery and comradeship, he pulled an injured fellow soldier to safety and kept firing till he became unconscious due to excessive blood loss.

Lieutenant Navdeep Singh displayed his indomitable spirit, determination, and exceptional bravery while putting down the terrorists and making the supreme sacrifice for the nation.[1]

## Honors

Singh's body was brought to his hometown [Gurdaspur](/source/Gurdaspur) the next day wrapped in the [Indian flag](/source/Flag_of_India) in a military convoy. Mourners included people of his hometown, personnel from civil and army officers and soldiers from his [regiment](/source/Regiment) who gave him a guard of honor and the [final salute](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Final_salute&action=edit&redlink=1). A state cabinet minister representing the chief minister laid a wreath on his body. He was cremated with full state and army honors amid crowd showering flowers and chanting "Navdeep Singh amar rahe".[6][10]

He was awarded the [Ashoka Chakra](/source/Ashoka_Chakra_(military_decoration)) posthumously on the 63rd Republic Day by president of India [Pratibha Patil](/source/Pratibha_Patil).[6][9]

## In popular culture

- *India's Most Fearless 2* (2018), book by [Shiv Aroor](/source/Shiv_Aroor) and Rahul Singh, features the true story[*[according to whom?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Words_to_watch#Unsupported_attributions)*] of fourteen Indian Army’ extraordinary officers. Singh's story is told in the chapter 3, "Fire When You Can See Their Faces".[11][*[non-primary source needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:No_original_research#Primary,_secondary_and_tertiary_sources)*]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Confer_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Confer_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Confer_1-2) [President to Confer Ashoka Chakra on Lt. Navdeep Singh (Posthumous)](http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=79890), Press Information Bureau, 25-January 2012, pib.nic.in

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-theHindu_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-theHindu_2-1) [Navdeep Singh to be decorated with Ashok Chakra posthumously](http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2832285.ece), Special Correspondent, NEW DELHI, 25 January 2012, thehindu.co.in

1. **[^](#cite_ref-tribune_3-0)** [Ashok Chakra to Lt Navdeep Singh posthumously](http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120126/jaltrib.htm), Jalandhar, 25 January 2012, tribuneindia.com

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)"](http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/2011/W_53_2012_048.pdf) (PDF). The Gazette of India. 31 December 2011. p. 2311.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Army must revisit skewed policies"](https://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/army-must-revisit-skewed-policies-1502494707.html). *The Statesman*. 19 September 2017.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Navdeep_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Navdeep_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Navdeep_6-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Navdeep_6-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Navdeep_6-4) [To all the mothers who lost their sons for India](http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-to-all-the-mothers-who-lost-their-sons-to-india/20120412.htm), Archana Masih, 12 April 2012, Gurdaspur, rediff.com

1. **[^](#cite_ref-full_honours_7-0)** [Lt Navdeep Singh cremated with full honours](https://archive.today/20130103185905/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-23/india/29917936_1_cremation-ground-infiltration-indian-army), Gourav Sally, TNN, 23 August 2011, indiatimes.com

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ashokchakra_8-0)** [Young Army officer gets Ashok Chakra posthumously](https://web.archive.org/web/20120128013753/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/lt-navdeep-singh-awarded-ashok-chakra/224317-3.html), 26 January 2012, IBNLive.com

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-OdishaToday_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-OdishaToday_9-1) [Tears as Lieutenant Navdeep Singh gets posthumous Ashok Chakra for supreme sacrifice](http://www.odishatoday.com/viewnews.php?news_id=2475) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160303211021/http://www.odishatoday.com/viewnews.php?news_id=2475) 3 March 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), 26-Jan-2012, New Delhi, Odishatoday.com

1. **[^](#cite_ref-full_honors_10-0)** [Lt Navdeep Singh cremated with full honors](https://archive.today/20130103185905/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-23/india/29917936_1_cremation-ground-infiltration-indian-army), Gourav Sally, TNN, 23 August 2011, indiatimes.com

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Aroor, Shiv (2018). "Fire When You Can See Their Faces". *India's most fearless : more military stories of unimaginable courage and sacrifice. 2*. Rahul Singh. Gurgaon, Haryana, India: [Penguin’s Ebury Publishing](/source/Ebury_Publishing). pp. 36–50. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-14-344315-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-14-344315-5). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [1107345859](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1107345859).

v t e Ashoka Chakra award recipients 1951 to 1970 Bachittar Singh† (1952) Narbahadur Thapa (1952) Suhas Biswas (1953) D. K. Jatar†^ (1955) Sundar Singh (1956) Jagannath Raoji Chitnis† (1957) Joginder Singh† (1957) Pollur Mutthuswamy Raman† (1957) Eric James Tucker† (1958) Khadka Bahadur Limbu† (1962) Man Bahadur Rai (1962) Chaman Lal†^ (1965) Lajjaram†^ (1965) Purshottam†^ (1965) Tej Singh†^ (1965) Shankar Lal Shrivastava† (1967) Dhanpat Singh^ (1968) Govind Singh^ (1968) Hukum Singh^ (1968) Lakhan Singh^ (1968) Takhat Singh†^ (1968) Jas Ram Singh (1969) 1971 to 1990 Baij Nath Singh†^ (1971) Bhure Lal^ (1972) Ummed Singh Mahra† (1972) Gurnam Singh (1974) Munnie Lal†^ (1974) Cyrus Addie Pithawalla (1981) Gennadi Strekalov* (1984) Yuri Malyshev* (1984) Bhawani Datt Joshi† (1985) Bhukant Misra† (1985) Chhering Mutup (1985) Jasbir Singh Raina (1985) Nirbhay Singh Sisodiya† (1985) Rakesh Sharma (1985) Ram Prakash Roperia† (1985) Vijay Jagirdar†^ (1986) Neerja Bhanot†^ (1987) 1991 to 2010 Randhir Prasad Verma† (1991) Sandeep Sankhla† (1992) Rakesh Singh Malhan† (1993) Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair† (1994) Harsh Uday Singh Gaur† (1995) Rajiv Kumar Joon† (1995) Sujjan Singh Yadav† (1995) Arun Singh Jasrotia† (1996) Puneet Nath Datt† (1997) Shanti Swaroop Rana† (1997) Sudhir Kumar Walia† (2000) Jagdish Prasad Yadav†^ (2001) Matbar Singh Negi†^ (2001) Kamlesh Kumari† (2001) Rambeer Singh Tomar† (2002) Surinder Singh† (2002) Suresh Chand Yadav† (2002) Sanjog Chhetri† (2004) Triveni Singh† (2004) Chuni Lal† (2007) Radhakrishnan Nair Harshan† (2007) Vasanth Venugopal† (2007) Dinesh Raghu Raman† (2008) Ashok Kamte† (2009) Bahadur Singh Bohra† (2009) Gajender Singh Bisht† (2009) Hemant Karkare† (2009) Jojan Thomas† (2009) Mohan Chand Sharma† (2009) Pramod Kumar Satapathy† (2009) R. P. Diengdoh† (2009) Sandeep Unnikrishnan† (2009) Tukaram Omble† (2009) Vijay Salaskar† (2009) D. Sreeram Kumar (2010) Mohit Sharma† (2010) Rajesh Kumar† (2010) 2011 to present Laishram Jyotin Singh† (2011) Navdeep Singh† (2012) K. Prasad Babu† (2014) Mukund Varadarajan† (2014) Neeraj Kumar Singh† (2014) Mohan Nath Goswami† (2016) Hangpan Dada† (2017) Jyoti Prakash Nirala† (2018) Nazir Ahmad Wani† (2019) Babu Ram† (2021) Shubhanshu Shukla (2026) † Posthumous; ^ Civilian; * Non-Indian

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Navdeep Singh (Ashoka Chakra)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navdeep_Singh_(Ashoka_Chakra)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navdeep_Singh_(Ashoka_Chakra)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.