During a customary call he made to his mother on the evening of August 14, Captain Deepak Singh — the 25-year-old soldier who died in last week’s Doda encounter in Jammu and Kashmir — told her that he was heading back to his unit’s base to retire for the night. Little did she know that he was just preparing for a dangerous mission and that the call would be the last time the family heard from him.
On August 14, Captain Deepak Singh was leading search operations in Doda district’s Akar forests when his unit was fired upon by militants hiding there. The operation was launched after intelligence inputs about the presence of some militants hiding there.
“He would make frequent video calls from Jammu and Kashmir, always hiding the truth from his mother,” said his father Mahesh Singh, a retired Uttarakhand police inspector.
When the news of his demise came, the family was in Kerala, where the oldest daughter lived. “My daughter had just had a baby. Our first grandchild. We were all so excited,” Mahesh said.
Captain Deepak Singh, born in 1999, was a Signal officer in the 48 National Rifles of the Indian Army. A graduate of the Indian Military Academy, he became a commissioned officer in 2020, and was on a two-year deputation with the Rashtriya Rifles in Jammu & Kashmir.
He’s survived by his parents and two sisters.
His parents wanted him to get married, but he insisted on waiting until his tenure with the Rashtriya Rifles ended, Mahesh said. “He wanted to wait one more year. But before he could fulfil that promise, he was killed,” his father, who had served as a confidential officer to Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP) Abhinav Kumar until his retirement this April, said.
Captain Deepak Singh’s mortal remains were flown to Dehradun on Wednesday. Governor Lieutenant General Gurmeet Singh (Retd) and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami both paid their respects to him at the Jolly Grant Airport.
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“His sacrifice will not go in vain. We’ll give a befitting reply to our enemies. The nation stands with the family in this moment of grief,” Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami said then.
On Wednesday, the Uttarakhand Police held a ceremony to honour him. DGP Abhinav Kumar was among those present.
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