Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

Rakesh Singh (18 September 1970 – 5 December 1992) was an

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

officer, awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime military decoration.

Early life

Singh was born on 18 September 1970. His father was Col Raj Singh.

Military career

Cdt Rakesh joined the 78th course of the National Defence Academy in 1986. He was commissioned into 22nd battalion of Grenadiers as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

on 13 June 1992. Less than six months later, he died on 5 December 1992 at the age of 22 from injuries sustained whilst attempting to cut off the escape of eight fleeing Afghan

Mujahadeen ''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' ( ar, مُجَاهِدِين, mujāhidīn), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' ( ar, مجاهد, mujāhid, strugglers or strivers or justice, right conduct, Godly rule, etc. doers of jihād), an Arabic term th ...

who had been flushed out during operations. Single-handedly, he managed to kill five of the Mujahadeen, but sustained injuries during the encounter and died of his injuries. In 1993 he was awarded

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

's highest peace time gallantry award, the Ashoka Chakra for his supreme sacrifice.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Rakesh 1970 births 1992 deaths Recipients of the Ashoka Chakra (military decoration) Indian military personnel killed in action