Vir Chakra (VrC)

On 15 June 1995, Havildar Surendar Singh was mortar detachment commander at the Tiger Saddle, the most distant and difficult post in the Siachen Glacier. Unmindful of the heavy enemy shelling on Tiger Saddle, he deployed his mortars and engaged the enemy observation post. He also kept encouraging his men and maintained their fighting spirit. When one of his detachment members collapsed due to exposure to severe cold, he personally started firing the mortar. Amidst temperature below 40 degrees Celsius and wind speed of more than 80 kilometres per hour, he continued to target the enemy with accurate retaliatory firing. Havildar Surendar Singh was at the mortar position when a splinter from the enemy artillery him on his back. In the best traditions of the Indian army, he refused to vacate the mortar position and continued to bring down accurate fire on the enemy. He successfully neutralised the enemy observation post before succumbing to his grave injuries.