President Pratibha Patil conferred the Ashoka Chakra on Lt. Navdeep Singh on 63rd Republic Day

President of India Pratibha Devisingh Patil conferred the Ashoka Chakra on Lt. Navdeep Singh (posthumous) on the occasion of the 63rd Republic Day Parade 2012 in New Delhi.  Lt. Navdeep Singh was awarded the Ashoka Chakra for single-handedly eliminating four infiltrating terrorists on 20 August 20 2011.

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 he 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. the officer eliminated three terrorists at close range. On seeing another terrorist approaching their position, he swiftly changed his firing position. While doing so, he got hit by a bullet on his head. 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.

Other Gallantry Awards

Besides the President also approved the award of three Kirti Chakra. Lt. Col. Kamaldeep Singh (Rajputana Rifles / 18TH Battalion the Rashtriya Rifles), Capt. Ashutosh Kumar (5th Battalion the Rajputana Rifles) and Lt. Sushil Khajuria (Army Service Corps / 18th battalion The Grenadiers) were the three Kirti Chakra awardees. Of the three, Lt. Khajuria was conferred the award posthumously for his gallantry during an encounter with terrorists in the Kupwara region of Jammu and Kashmir.

Sixteen persons were awarded the Shaurya Chakra, the nation’s third-highest gallantry award in peacetime. While most of the Shaurya Chakra awardees are Armymen, the awardees also include a Jammu and Kashmir Special Police Officer (SPO) Barket Ali, who was conferred the award posthumously.

President Pratibha Patil approved conferring of 368 gallantry awards, including 28 Param Vishisht Seva Medals and 45 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals. The Army’s additional director-general (public information) Maj. Gen. S.L. Narasimhan was awarded an Ati Vishisht Seva Medal for his leadership in relief and rescue efforts in the wake of the Sikkim earthquake in 2010.