Three months old when father died in line of duty, son joins same battalion

Major Harminder belonged to Mundi Kharar, close to Mohali, and was the son of a retired Army officer, Capt Harpal Singh.

A road in Mundi Kharar is named after Major Harminder in his memory and the government college in Phase-6, Mohali is also named after him. His wife Rupinder Pal Kaur was given a job in Food and Supplies Department in the Punjab government following his death as a battle casualty.

A family member informed that Navteshwar always wanted to join the Army and follow in his father’s footsteps in the same battalion in The Grenadiers Regiment. “He was born in January 1999 and was barely three months old when he lost his father. Navteshwar has done his BTech in Mechanical Engineering from Chandigarh-based Punjab Engineering College (PEC), but he had this dream of joining the Army, which he has finally fulfilled today. He was an avid Cadet in the NCC too and was a Sergeant in his battalion,” the relative said.
Commissioned in 18 Grenadiers in 1992, Navvetshwar’s father Major Harminder and his unit was stationed in Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir. On April 13, 1999 the unit received information about some militants being holed up in a village.

Major Harminder and his troops were tasked to engage the militants. In the ensuing gunfight the officer received injuries on his left arm. As the encounter progressed and seeing that his troops were being pinned down by the firing from the other side, Major Harminder charged towards the militants and killed two of them. However, he sustained fatal gunshot wound to his head from a third militant and died. Major Harminder was awarded the third highest peacetime gallantry award, Shaurya Chakra, for his display of courage beyond the call of duty.

Meanwhile in Chennai, Army Chief General Manoj Pande addressed the newly commissioned officers and said “soldering is not just a career but a dedication that goes far beyond the uniform”.

According to an official statement, 161 Gentleman Cadets of the SSC-116 and 36 Woman Cadets of the SSC (W)-30 Courses were commissioned into various arms and services of the Indian Army. Twelve cadets, including eight women, from Friendly Foreign Countries also completed their training.

Archana Pande, president of the Army Wives Welfare Association, inaugurated a Veer Nari Gallery at the OTA Museum. Naris are those Army wives who lose their husbands while serving the motherland.