Just 3 days before the nation observes Parakaram Parv, or the commemoration of the Surgical Strikes in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, tragic news came in that a soldier who belonged to the Special Forces battalion that spearheaded those strikes had laid down his life in the line of duty.
Lance Naik Sandeep Singh, a seasoned soldier was a veteran of many operations. He was a thorough professional. In his heroic final moments, he eliminated three terrorists before succumbing to his injuries.
The Soldier
Sandeep Singh was a double volunteer — first for the Indian Army and then for its elite Special Forces. Originally slated to join a regular infantry regiment, the young soldier volunteered for the Special Forces.
The Special Forces are essentially strategic force multipliers. They operate in small teams, usually behind enemy lines. Their missions are nearly always covert and offer the government the option of deniability. Joining them requires the aspirant to go through gruelling tests where the rejection rates hover at more than 80%. Only the truly motivated succeed.
This sort of motivation may not easily be understood by those youth whose main expectations from a government job are an assured salary, no real performance standards and benefits such as housing and medical facilities. Regular army training and life are tough enough as it is. “If one is already in the Army”, your average Sarkari job aspirant will wonder, “why invite further rigours by volunteering for the Special Forces?”
Volunteering for the Special Forces is only the beginning. What follows is a period of sustained physical and mental challenges which lasts for at least 6 months. It involves gruelling tasks which test the limits of human endurance. This period is known by the rather innocuous sounding term “probation”. Very few last the full phase of probation. Lance Naik Sandeep Singh was one of them.
Every Special Forces “probie” , during the probation period, is allotted a buddy. The buddy pair eat, sleep, wake, walk, run, roll, laugh, cry and bleed together. They watch each other’s backs. By the end of the probation period, they know more about each other than perhaps even their family members. For, Lance Naik Sandeep Singh’s buddy during probation, the loss is personal. Himself a former Special Forces officer, awarded for valour in combat, the buddy is still coming to terms with Sandeep’s death. In conversation with this writer, he remembers Sandeep as an extremely friendly and cheerful soldier who always had a smile on his face. “Sandeep was the type of soldier valued by every unit- one who cheered up those around him”, recalls Sandeep’s buddy. Never once did this buddy see Sandeep forlorn or depressed. The two soldiers, one an officer and the other an enlisted man, formed a deep bond and shared everything about their lives and loves. Three days after they last spoke on the phone, Sandeep attained immortality.
The Unit
For the battalion, 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment (Special Forces), this is the first combat fatality they have suffered in years. Such is the professionalism and combat readiness of the unit, that years of sustained counter insurgency operations and transborder raids had gone by without a single soldier being killed in action. However, they, more than anyone else recognize the harsh truth that “when your time comes, nothing can stop it.”
Only a foolish adversary would make the mistake of thinking that the morale of this battalion would be lowered by their comrade’s sacrifice. If anything, it will spur them to greater glory.
The Void
Sandeep leaves behind a wife and a five year old son. It is they who will bear the full brunt of Sandeep’s sacrifice. The nation and the Army will stand fully behind them. However, with the passage of time, with more and more families to look after, there will be a danger of them slipping down the priority list. “It is not just now, but for years in the future, that we will have to be there for Sandeep’s family”, asserts his buddy.
The Future
The Indian Army is mission ready and combat deployed 24/7. This also means that several officers and Jawans are injured or killed in action every year. The friends and families of the officers are usually social media savvy and manage to keep alive the memories of their sacrifices through writings and television documentaries.
However, such is the unfortunate reality of life in rural India, that the friends and families of our Jawans are caught up in the daily struggles for survival. Usually, after building a bust of the soldier at the village chowk, the nation forgets all about them. It is left to the battalion and the Army to look after the families.
As a nation, we must ensure that Sandeep’s son and the children of hundreds of soldiers like him never have to compromise on their education and dreams because of a lack of financial support or opportunities.
It is all very well to politicise military successes and make a song and dance about them. However, what really matters is what we do for the soldiers on whose sacrifices our freedoms are built. What ultimately matters is what we do after the cameras are turned off and after the reporters go home. For that is when the tears begin to flow.
