My regiment needs me,Lt Col told wife

Soldiers said he was about to take position when terrorists shot him.

Lt Col Bikramjeet Singh,who was killed when terrorists attacked an Army camp in Samba Thursday,rushed to defend his regiment the moment his wife told him about the attack.

Recalling the events of the fateful day,his wife Navneet Kaur said,It was just another day. At 7:20 in the morning,me and my daughter were waiting outside our house for the jeep to pick us up. A jeep approached us,stopped at a distance and the driver shouted: Memsaab andar jaiye,bahar goliyaan chal rahi hain. (Madam,go inside. There is firing going on outside). I held my daughter and rushed inside the house.

Inside,Singh,who was posted in the 16 Cavalry unit six months ago,was listening to loud music. As he took a sip of tea,I told him there was firing outside. He left his tea and breakfast and got ready to go out. He wore his shoes and rushed outside, Navneet said.

Story continues below this ad

She shouted from behind and asked him to wait and put on his bulletproof jacket. Singh,who had fought in the Kargil war and several anti-insurgency operations,looked back and said,My regiment needs me,I cannot wait.

Not long afterwards,she got bad news. I kept calling him but he did not answer. It was 9:20 am and I got very worried. I called Major Ajay,Bikrams buddy,and he informed me they were taking Bikram to the hospital.

I wanted to rush to the hospital,but I could not. I was stuck in the house as there was heavy firing outside. I called Murli Bhaiya,a nursing assistant. He said sahab is in the operation theatre and is fine. I could not trust anyone,I wanted to see Bikram.

At around 10 am,Navneet managed to reach the hospital,where Murli merely said: Sorry maam.

My life shattered that very moment, said Navneet.

Story continues below this ad

Doctors said Singh was shot thrice. One of the bullets,which hit him on the chest and ruptured his left ventricle,killed him on the spot. Soldiers said he was about to take position when terrorists shot him.

The police said that Kumar, a resident of Turbhe MIDC in Navi Mumbai, was driving his concrete mixer truck when it collided with an SUV.

‘Unleashed aggressive dog to stop probe’: Sacked IAS officer Puja Khedkar’s mother booked

Cities11 hr ago

The mother of a dismissed IAS officer, Manorama Khedkar, has been booked by the police for obstructing an investigation and aiding suspects involved in a road rage incident. The incident occurred on September 13 and involved two men who allegedly kidnapped a truck helper.

View all shorts

Live Blog