Col Manpreet Singh posthumously receives Kirti Chakra for bravery

He lit his father’s pyre 19 months ago. On Thursday, he watched as his mother received the Kirti Chakra from President Droupadi Murmu for his father, who died fighting terrorists in Kashmir. And yet young Kabir harbors the hope that one day Col. Manpreet Singh will return home.

Oscillating between acceptance and denial, too young perhaps to grasp the reality of his life and too old to completely disregard it, Kabir clutched on to his mother Jagmeet’s hand tightly after the ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan and said, “Thank you, Papa, for this honour.” He also said, "Ab papa wapis aayenge, mission khatam hoga ab (Now Papa will come back, the mission is over now)." The belief somewhere that the award - the second highest gallantry award after Ashok Chakra -- means his father is alive and well somewhere.

Recounting the conversation, his mother Jagmeet Singh told PTI that it has been a difficult time for the family and for her children, 10-year-old Kabir and five-year-old Vaani. Her children, she said, are not yet ready to take on the harsh truth.

"He sacrificed his life for the country and it is indeed a proud moment for us as a family. But it is definitely difficult to explain to my children," she said, her son’s statements bringing both tears and smiles. The president presented the award to Jagmeet and her mother-in-law Manjeet Kaur.

After his father’s death, Kabir would send voice messages on his mobile, pleading with him to come back or at least make a video call to him. He would try and whisper so his mother wouldn’t hear, Jagmeet, who lives in Panchkula, said.

Col Singh was killed along with three other security personnel during a joint operation on September 13, 2023 following a fierce gunbattle with terrorists in the forests surrounding Gadool village of Kokernag in south Kashmir.

The others gunned down were Major Aashish Dhonchak, Jammu and Kashmir Police Deputy Superintendent Humanyun Bhat and Sepoy Pardeep Singh. While Bhat was awarded the Kirti Chakra, Singh and Dhonchak got the Shaurya Chakra.

The Gadool encounter was an eye-opener for security forces. It gave them a sense of the dominance of terrorists along the higher reaches in south Kashmir, which acts as a gateway between Kashmir and Kishtwar area in Jammu region. Col Singh, commanding officer of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) unit, also served in terrorism-hit areas of Larkipora, Zaldoora and Kokernag in the Valley’s Anantnag district.

Jagmeet remembered her last conversation with him. It lasted just 32 seconds. "Operation mein hoon (I am in an operation)… I never heard from him after that,” she said.