Army Vice Chief starts tenure by paying homage to 5 fellow soldiers who died in IPKF ops in 1989

Lieutenant General Pushpendra Singh, who on Friday took over as the Vice Chief of the Indian Army, in a unique gesture, paid homage to five of his fellow soldiers who lost their lives in an operation led by him in Sri Lanka in 1989. Families of those who died in the operation were invited for the homage.

Before assuming charge as the Vice Chief, Lt General Singh, along with widows and family members of five soldiers, paid homage at the national war memorial.

The five soldiers were with him in an operation as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka in 1989.

Lt Gen Singh, a young Second Lieutenant then and part of 4^th Batallion of The Parachute Regiment, Special Forces (4 PARA SF), was seriously wounded and five soldiers had died.

The incident occurred on July 22, 1989, when Second Lieutenant  Singh was leading a 13-member quick reaction team moving from Iranamadu to Kilinochchi. The convoy was ambushed, a fierce counter-assault resulted in four LTTE terrorists being neutralised and several others injured. Five Indian soldiers made the supreme sacrifice and lost their lives. Singh and two others were severely wounded in the operation.

The 4 PARA SF had been inducted into the island nation in October 1987, participating in key operations in Jaffna and later deploying in Kilinochchi.

Lt Gen Singh, accompanied by the families, paid homage at the ‘eternal flame’ at the National War Memorial and laid floral tributes at the Tyag Chakra, where the names of the five bravehearts from that operation have been etched.

Lt Gen Singh was commissioned in December 1987 after graduating from La Martiniere College, Lucknow, Lucknow University, and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.