Who Was Colonel Manpreet Singh, Martyred In Action Fighting Terrorists In Anantnag

Colonel Manpreet Singh was commanding 19 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) Battalion and died in a counter insurgency operation in Anantnag on Wednesday, was about to complete his tenure with RR in four months.

Written by: Analiza Pathak Edited by: Analiza Pathak

Published: September 14, 2023, 8:38 AM IST

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https://www.india.com/news/india/who-was-colonel-manpreet-singh-martyred-in-action-fighting-terrorists-in-anantnag-encounter-major-ashish-dhonchak-dsp-humayun-bhat-6320492/ Copy

Anantnag: Col. Manpreet Singh who was killed in an encounter with terrorists in Kokernag area of Anantnag district in South Kashmir. An Army major and a DySP of JKP were also killed. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: Colonel Manpreet Singh was one of the three people who were killed in action during a gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Wednesday. He was an Army Rashtriya Rifles unit Commanding Officer (Colonel). Along with Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonchak of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, and DSP Humayun Bhat of Jammu and Kashmir Police laid down their lives on the line of duty.

Col Manpreet Singh was a second-generation soldier, with his later father having served in the Army as a non-commissioned officer. His mortal remains are being brought to Chandigarh and his cremation will take place on Thursday, September 14. It is very unusual for a Col-rank officer, that too the Commanding Officer, to remain physically present at the front amid fierce encounter. But Col Singh, a well decorated officer, has always believed in leading his men from the front and he was doing the same on that fateful day.

Who was Colonel Manpreet Singh

• Colonel Manpreet Singh was commanding 19 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) Battalion and died in a counter insurgency operation in Anantnag on Wednesday, was about to complete his tenure with RR in four months.
• As a Lieutenant Colonel with the RR, he had been decorated with the Sena Medal for Gallantry in 2021.
• A native of Bharonjian, a small village in Punjab near Chandigarh, Colonel Manpreet’s family was living in DLF, New Chandigarh.
• He is survived by his wife Jagmeet Grewal, a lecturer in economics serving with the education department Haryana and two children — six-year-old son and two-year-old daughter.
• The officer had completed around 17 years’ service in the army.
• While his father, who was an ex-serviceman is no more, his mother was living with his children in new Chandigarh.
• According to local media reports, Col Manpreet Singh’s battalion had organised a volleyball championship near Anantnag for locals as a confidence-building measure on September 9 .

Anantnag Encounter

The Army and J&K police joint operation against the terrorists began on Tuesday evening in the Gadole area but was called off during the night. The next morning the hunt for the terrorists resumed after information started trickling that they were spotted at a hideout.

Colonel Singh, leading his team from the front, attacked the terrorists. However, the terrorists fired upon him and he was critically injured.

#WATCH | Panchkula, Haryana: Virender Gill, brother-in-law of Colonel Manpreet Singh, who lost his life during an encounter with terrorists in Anantnag yesterday, says, “We last spoke to him at 6:45 am. He said he would speak later. He was a good man. Last year, he was awarded… pic.twitter.com/gpVFzTsHq0

— ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2023

Ex-Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad took to X (formally known as Twitter) and expressed his condolences to the martyred soldiers. He wrote, “In the line of duty at Kokernag, we have lost today Army Col. Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonack and DSP Humayan Bhat in an encounter. It is quite difficult to accept this terrible news. My heart goes out to their families who may find it difficult to gather the courage and strength to bear this loss and I also pray for the souls of the martyrs who sacrificed for our better and secure tomorrow!”

The last time a commanding officer was killed in action in Jammu and Kashmir was three years ago when Colonel Ashutosh Sharma (along with Major Anuj Sood, two army jawans and a sub inspector) fell to terrorists’ bullets in Kashmir’s Handwara area.