Bhupender Singh (officer)

Major Bhupender Singh, SC (25 October 1952 – 23 Jan 1994) was an officer of the Indian Army who was killed by Hizbul Mujahideen on 23 January 1994. He was posthumously awarded Shaurya Chakra.^[1][2]

Major Bhupender Singh SC
Born	25 October 1952 Rajasthan, India
Died	23 January 1994 (aged 41) Kashmir, India
Allegiance	India
Branch	Indian Army
Years of service	1978 — 1994
Rank	Major
Service number	IC-35010
Unit	64 Engineer Regiment
Awards	Shaurya Chakra Sword of Honour (IMA)
Alma mater	MBM Engineering College Military Training Indian Military Academy
Spouse(s)	Avinash Kaur
Children	Nimrat & Rubina

Early life and education

Bhupender was born on 25 October 1952 in Rajasthan, India. He completed Civil Engineering from MBM Engineering College, Jodhpur.^{[citation needed]}

Military career

Bhupendra was commissioned in 64 Engineer Regiment in 1978 and he was a recipient of the coveted Sword of Honour.^[a] Throughout his career, he served in various units which includes Combat Engineers, Military Engineering Service (MES), Military Survey and the Defence Research & Development Organization. Before his death, he was the Officer Commanding of 99 Road Construction Company.^[3]

Death

Bhupender was stationed at Verinag as Officer Commanding of 99 Road Construction Company. In the early January 1994, Bhupender along with two officers and 13 soldiers went on a recce. Upon entering Akkar village, they were ambushed by militants who directly attacked them. Despite breaking the ambush and continuing the mission, on 17 January 1994, he was kidnapped by Hizbul Mujahideen. They demanded release of some terrorists, which Bhupender denied. Hearing his denials, the terrorists killed him on 23 January 1994.^[4][5][6][7]

Shaurya Chakra

Acknowledging Bhupender's bravery, the Government of India posthumously awarded Shaurya Chakra to Bhupender . It was presented to his daughter Nimrat on 13 March.^[8][9]

The Shaurya Chakra citation reads as follows:

CITATION

MAJOR BHUPENDER SINGH

99 Road Construction Company (IC 35010)

Maj Bhupender Singh employed as OC 99 Road Constr Coy in Project Beacon, was responsible for the task of constructing five bailey bridges on road Khannabal-Pahalgam of J&K in Pursuance of the decision taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Shri Rajesh pilot, Maj Bhupender Singh accompanied by a party consisting of two officers and 13 Ors including escorts went on the recce of the bridge sites. At village Akkar, the recce party ran into an ambush by ANEs who were lying in wait at a roadblock created by them. the party was fired from all around from a very close range by automatic weapons with an estimated strength of 100 ANEs. Showing great presence of mind, Maj Bhupender Singh deployed his troops without any loss of time and returned the fire. After a prolonged exchange of fire, he successfully broke through the ambush along with his party and proceeded ahead. On 17 Jan 1994, Maj Bhupender Singh was kidnapped by ANEs. He remained in their captivity for a week and was killed by them on 23 Jan 1994. Maj Bhupender Singh displayed gallantry exemplary cool courage, unflinching devotion to duty, and consuming passion for the safety of his men at the cost of his life. He has set an example for others to emulate.