Yash Vir Singh Tomar

Yash Vir Singh

Havildar Yash Vir Singh Tomar (4.1.1960-13.6.1999) , Vir Chakra, Aged 39, from Sirsali village in Bagpat district Uttar Pradesh died on 12 June 1999 in Kargil War. He was in Unit-2 Rajputana Rifles.

The incidence

He was by Maj Vivek Gupta's side when the party was in the final stages of capturing Point 4950. Fierce combat ensued during the mission and the strategic hill at Tololing was wrested from the Pakistanis, but only after the loss of this and many other brave soldiers.

Fierce fighting is going on and the outcome is in God's hands." So wrote Havildar Yashbir Singh to his father, Chaudhary Girbar Singh, in a letter that came on June 8. The next day came the news that Yashbir was dead. Yashbir and his mates had been fighting for six days at an height of 17,000 feet trying to capture an enemy post near Point 5140. The post had 60 Pakistanis.

A bullet hit Yashbir in the temple; the second pierced his left arm and the third his chest. Five others died with him. But by the dawn the post had fallen in the hands of the Indians.

For Yashbir's parents, wife Manesh Devi and children, Uday and Pankaj, life will never be the same again. His younger brother Harvir was also serving in Kargil.

Citation

On 12/13 June 99, Company Havildar Major Yashvir Singh of Charlie Company was tasked to organise evacuation of casualties during the company assault on Tololing Top in the Drass Sector during OPERATION VIJAY. The Company had captured Tololing Top and in the ensuing fire-fight the company had already lost the Company Commander and the Platoon Commander. The troops on Tololing Top were in the danger of being isolated by the enemy.

Seeing the grave situation of own troops on Top and the lurking danger to the accomplishment of task, Company Havildar Major Yashvir Singh mustered all spare men around him and rushed to the Top. On reaching the Top, he immediately joined up with the remnants of Number One section and assumed command.

On realising that the danger to Tololing Top was because of an uncleared enemy sangar, he collected all the hand grenades and proceeded to the sangar despite heavy enemy fire. On closing in, he started lobbing grenades inside the loopholes and in the process he was fired at by the enemy at point blank range. After having lobbed eighteen grenades, he was able to silence the bunker.

However, in the heroic action he sustained innumerable bullet injuries and succumbed due to the resultant profuse bleeding. Company Havildar Major Yashvir Singh displayed exemplary valour in the face of enemy and made the supreme sacrifice for the Nation.

Kargil War : The Battle of Tololing

In the early days of May 1999, after patrols sent in the mountains of Tololing disappeared, 18 Grenadiers were given orders to evict the intruders. Tololing, a naked mountain, loomed large rising to 16000 feet, overlooking the town of Drass. With no cover, a single steep track led to the top zig zagging along a narrow path. There was absolutely no cover for climbing troops. From this vantage point, the enemy brought in heavy artillery fire on the National Highway NH 1A which was closest at this point.

After several unsuccessful attempts a fresh battalion the 2nd Rajputana Rifles was brought in for the assault. The Grenadiers consolidated at 3 points, 300 metres below the Pakistani positions thus providing a foothold to launch the attack from. The 2nd Raputana Rifles meanwhile fired and tested weapons, carried on reconnaissance and mock assaults on nearby ridges. About 90 volunteers led by Major Vivek Gupta were assembled for the final assault. Among them were 11 Tomars and Hav Yashvir Singh Tomar was one of them. He said somberly “Sahib gyarah ja rahe hain aur gyarah jeet kar lautenge(Sir, 11 Tomars are going and 11 will return victorious)”.

On 12 June 1999, at 1830 hours 120 artillery guns opened up on Tololing top. The Bofors 155 mm guns started first. Used in direct fire mode they targeted the bunkers. Within minutes they were followed by the 130 mm and 105 mm guns. Shell after shell slammed into the ridges. As the expected Pakistani counter bombardment started, the 155 mm guns switched to firing across the LOC at Pakistani gun positions located by the para commandos. The Pakistani guns were soon put out of action and were relegated to occasional shells. When ,close to midnight the firing stopped, Major Vivek Gupta led his men with the battle cry “Raja Ramchandra ki Jai”. There were 3 teams code names “Abhimanyu”, “Bheem” and “Arjun”. One went straight up. Another went around a lower ridge to cut off the enemy’s retreat and a third from behind. The Grenadiers provided covering fire against the Pakistanis on the nearby ridges.

In spite of the artillery ,there were still strong pockets of Pakistani troops in natural caves beyond the effect of artillery. They now opened up with machine guns on the crawling Indian troops. The troops inched up using the craters caused by artillery for cover. In spite of the withering machine gun fire from the bunkers, troops had to crawl and use grenades to silence them. Back at the base the commanders were huddled around the wireless. However with the enemy at close quarters there was no time for communication.

By 2.30 am desperation was setting in and in this situation Hav Yashvir Singh Tomar collected the grenades from the rest of the men. He then charged the last few bunkers. Getting there, he tossed in 18 grenades at the bunkers and silenced them . Hav Yashvir was martyred in this daring assault and his body was found with an assault rifle in one hand and grenade in the other.It is one of the most daring actions of the war.

Tololing was won and it was the first major victory during the Kargil war. The daring action by Hav Yashvir Singh changed the course of the battle and paved the way for army to go for more decisive actions in the war.

For his act of bravery in the Battlefield Hav Yashvir Singh Tomar was Awarded with Vir Chakra (posthumously).

Hav Yashvir is survived by father Girwar singh, wife Manesh Devi and children, Uday and Pankaj.

Ref - https://www.honourpoint.in/profile/havaldar-yashvir-singh-tomar-vrc/

यशवीर सिंह तोमर का जीवन परिचय

कंपनी हवलदार मेजर यशवीर सिंह तोमर (जाट) (4 जनवरी 1960 - 13 जून 1999)

वीर चक्र (मरणोपरांत)

4 जनवरी 1960 - 13 जून 1999

वीरांगना - श्रीमती मुनेश देवी

यूनिट - 2 राजपुताना राइफल्स

लड़ाई/युद्ध - तोलोलिंग की लड़ाई/ ऑपरेशन विजय/कारगिल युद्ध 1999

यशवीर सिंह का जन्म 4 जनवरी 1960 को उत्तर प्रदेश के बागपत जिले के सिरसली गांव में पिता चौधरी गिरवर सिंह और माता श्रीमती तारादेवी के परिवार में हुआ। वर्ष 1979 में यह भारतीय सेना की 2 राजपुताना राइफल्स में शामिल हुए।

कारगिल युद्ध में सबसे प्रथम और अहम् काम तोलोलिंग टॉप पर कब्जा करना था। पहले के प्रयास विफल होने के बाद 2 राजपुताना राइफल्स को यह टास्क सौंपा गया। तोलोलिंग पहाड़ी को मुक्त कराने के लिए कमांडो टीम में मेजर विवेक गुप्ता, सूबेदार भंवरलाल भाकर, सूबेदार सुमेर सिंह राठौड़, लांस नायक जसवीर सिंह, नायक सुरेन्द्र सिंह, नायक चमन सिंह तेवतिया, लांस नायक बचन सिंह, सीएचएम यशवीर सिंह, हवालदार सुल्तान सिंह नरवारिया एवं नायक दिगेंद्र कुमार शामिल थे।

कारगिल युद्ध के दौरान 12/13 जून 99 को, चार्ली कंपनी के कंपनी हवलदार मेजर यशवीर सिंह को ऑपरेशन विजय के दौरान द्रास सेक्टर में तोलोलिंग टॉप पर कंपनी के हमले के दौरान हताहतों की निकासी का काम सौंपा गया था। कंपनी ने तोलोलिंग टॉप पर कब्जा कर लिया था और इस लड़ाई में कंपनी पहले ही कंपनी कमांडर और प्लाटून कमांडर को खो चुकी थी। तोलोलिंग टॉप पर कंपनी के बचे हुए सैनिकों को दुश्मन द्वारा अलग से घेरे जाने का खतरा था।

तोलोलिंग टॉप पर अपने सैनिकों की गंभीर स्थिति और उनके लक्ष्य की सफलता में छिपे हुए खतरे को देखते हुए, कंपनी हवलदार मेजर यशवीर सिंह ने अपने आस-पास के बचे हुए सैनिकों को जुटाया और तोलोलिंग टॉप पर पहुंचे। टॉप पर पहुंचने के बाद वह तुरंत एक बचे हुए सेक्शन के साथ जुड़ गए और उसकी कमान संभाल ली।

यशवीर सिंह ने देखा कि तोलोलिंग टॉप पर दुश्मन का एक बचा हुआ बंकर अभी खतरा था, इसलिए उन्होंने सभी ग्रेनेड जमा किए और भीषण गोलाबारी के उपरांत "राजा रामचंद्र की जय" का युद्धघोष करते हुए दुश्मन के बंकर की ओर दौड़ पड़े। आगे बढ़ते हुए उन्होंने बंकर में ग्रेनेड फैंकने शुरू कर दिए, इस दौरान दुश्मन ने उन पर बहुत ही नजदीक से फायर किए। बंकर में कुल 18 ग्रेनेड फैंकने के बाद यशवीर सिंह ने उस बंकर को धवस्त कर दिया।

यद्यपि इस वीरतापूर्ण कार्य में वे गंभीर रूप से घायल हो गए और अत्यधिक रक्त बहने से वीरगति को प्राप्त हुए। उनका शव एक हाथ में राइफल और दूसरे हाथ में ग्रेनेड थामे ही पाया गया। यशवीर सिंह ने युद्ध में दुश्मन के सामने अनुकरणीय वीरता प्रदर्शित की और राष्ट्र के लिए सर्वोच्च बलिदान दिया। उन्हें मरणोपरांत तीसरे सर्वोच्च वीरता सम्मान वीर चक्र से सम्मानित किया गया।

Gallery

Yash Vir Singh Tomar
Yash Vir Singh Tomar
Havildar Yashbir Singh's parents and wife
राष्ट्रपति भवन में वीर चक्र सम्मान लेते हुए वीरांगना श्रीमती मुनेश देवी
छोटे पुत्र पंकज सिंह (left), वीरांगना श्रीमती मुनेश देवी (centre), बड़े पुत्र उदय सिंह व गोद में पोता यथार्थ (right)
CHM यशवीर सिंह के अंतिम संस्कार के समय उनके बड़े पुत्र उदय सिंह (U) और छोटे पुत्र पंकज सिंह (P)
आर्टिस्ट हुतांश वर्मा का बनाया हुआ CHM यशवीर सिंह का पोर्टेट
वीरांगना श्रीमती मुनेश देवी को पोर्टेट देते हुए आर्टिस्ट हुतांश वर्मा।