Chhattisgarh Naxal Attack: Sikh Commando Who Untied His Turban To Save Fellow Soldier's Life Gets Honoured

During CoBRA Commando Balraj Singh had off his turban to stop the bleeding of a fellow soldier. He has been awarded a turban by Special DGP Rajinder Kumar Vij.

New Delhi: CoBRA Commando Balraj Singh who took off his turban to stop the bleeding of fellow soldier Abhishek Pandey - has been awarded a turban by Special DGP Rajinder Kumar Vij.

Constable Balraj Singh is being treated in a Raipur hospital after he sustained a bullet injury in the abdomen during the exchange of fire between forces and Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur on Saturday.

"I felt honoured to present this turban to Cobra commando Balraj Singh who untied his own to save his fellow soldier's life. He was so delighted to receive this and immediately asked his attender to take a snap. A few happy moments in tough times," Special DGP Rajinder Kumar Vij wrote on Twitter.

Previously, he had shared a tweet describing the humane gesture by Comando Balraj Singh. "My salute to the spirit of the Sikh jawan," he had written.

About the incident, the Times of India quoted constable Balraj Singh as saying: “We were firing back at the Maoists when they attacked us with UBGLs (under-barrel grenade launchers). Sub-inspector Abhishek Pande was severely wounded. He was right beside me and I could see blood gushing out of his leg. I realised that he would die if the bleeding doesn’t stop. I looked for first aid kits, but they were all exhausted since so many of us were wounded”.

“Seeing no way out, I unwrapped my turban, tore it into strips, and tied it around the leg of my colleague. The bleeding stopped and Pande went back to firing,” he added. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday laid wreath at the coffins of 14 security personnel in Jagdalpu.

According to reports, 22 security personnel were martyred in the Chattisgargh Naxal attack. Out of the total 22 fatalities, the CRPF lost eight men, including seven commandos of the CoBRA battalion (CRPF's elite unit) and one jawan of the Bastariya battalion, eight of the other deceased were from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), and six from the Special Task Force (STF).