Moga, 16 January 2025- Lance Naik Kulwant Singh, 32, of Moga district, Punjab, received a tribute, the Sena Medal for bravery in a recent ceremony in Delhi, almost two years after he lost his life battling terrorists in the Poonch terror attack.
At a ceremony at Delhi’s Cariappa Parade Ground, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar presented the medal to his wife, Hardeep Kaur.
Like Kulwant from the Sikh Light Infantry, his father, Sepoy Baldev Singh also lost his life in the line of duty in Jammu & Kashmir. Now, the names of both father and son are etched at the National War Memorial, India Gate, Delhi.
“It was a feeling of immense pride for us to see the names of both father and son at the war memorial in Delhi,” said Prithpal Singh, the soldier’s brother-in-law, who accompanied his sister Hardeep Kaur to the ceremony.
Kulwant Singh’s wife Hardeep Kaur received the Sena medal
In Poonch, Jammu & Kashmir, on April 20, 2023, terrorists attacked an Army truck. Lance Naik Kulwant Singh, who was assigned to the 49 Rashtriya Rifles, was a member of the Quick Reaction Team (QRT). The attack claimed the lives of five soldiers. The car was transporting supplies and fruits for a Sangiote villagers’ iftar party. The car caught fire after terrorists fired shots and threw grenades at it.
Despite being wounded in the gunfire, Kulwant Singh fought tirelessly and returned fire until he passed away from his wounds, according to the Army’s statement during the ceremony.
Kulwant was from the district of Moga. His family revealed that he enlisted in the Army because he admired his late father in addition to doing so to provide for them financially.
Kulwant’s two children—daughter Armandeep Kaur, two years old at the time of his death, and son Fatehveer, just five months old then—are now growing up.
Hardeep Kaur, who lost her husband just three years after their marriage, said, “I decided to live again for the sake of my children. Who else will take care of them? I went to Delhi to receive the medal, which is a token of my husband’s bravery.”
Additionally, Hardeep disclosed that the Punjab government had given her ₹60 lakh and ₹40 lakh to her mother-in-law Harjinder Kaur of the Rs 1 crore ex gratia. She is still awaiting the government position that the Punjab government promised her, though.
“I was asked to clear Class 12, which is the minimum qualification for a job. It has been a year since I cleared it, but I am yet to get the job,” she said. The widow also received Rs 50 lakh from the Army.
