‘It was my dream to see him serve the country': Shaurya Chakra awardee Major Tripatpreet Singh given a hero's welcome in Punjab's Gurdaspur
Major Tripatpreet Singh, a resident of a village in Punjab's Gurdaspur district, was given a grand welcome Sunday as he returned home after being conferred the Shaurya Chakra by President Droupadi Murmu for his role in a counter-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Family members, relatives, villagers, and local leaders celebrated his arrival in Dhariwal Kalan with drum beats as people danced bhangra, and garlanded him with flowers and currency notes.
Major Singh, who serves with the Indian Army's 34 Rashtriya Rifles, was awarded the Shaurya Chakra for his leadership and bravery in eliminating a terrorist without any casualties.
On January 4, 2024, Major Singh led a mission in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district based on specific intelligence about the presence of a terrorist. Acting as team leader, he led the unit to the location. During the operation, the terrorist was forced out of position. After a prolonged exchange of fire, Major Singh killed the terrorist in close combat. The terrorist was later identified as a Category 'A' terrorist.
Speaking about the operation, Major Singh said, 'We avenged the 2017 killing of Lieutenant Umar Fayaz by eliminating a top terrorist commander in Shopian. It was a unit-level operation and a moment of pride for us.'
Major Singh comes from a small farming family. His father, Hardyal Singh Padda, took premature retirement from government service due to health reasons. 'It was my dream to see him serve the country. I got him admitted to a Sainik School, and from there he went to NDA,' his father said.
His mother, Daljit Kaur, said she was thankful that he always returned safely. His wife, Sirat, added, 'I feel proud that my husband has done such commendable work.'
Major Singh's maternal uncle, Sub-Inspector Harinder Singh Aulakh, said that his father and the officer's maternal grandfather, Subedar Sukhdev Singh Aulakh, also served in the Army. 'Our relative Major General Charanjit Singh Mann guided Tripatpreet Singh about joining Sainik School Kapurthala. Tripatpreet has made us proud. He has carried forward the family tradition, and now many youth in his village want to join the Army because of the heights he has achieved,' Aulakh said.
Many relatives and friends also visited the family home to offer their congratulations during his brief holiday. Major Padda has now returned to duty.
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