Indian peacekeeper posthumously awarded with prestigious UN medal for sacrifice in line of duty

New York: An Indian peacekeeper, who sacrificed his life in the line of duty while serving under the flag of the United Nations is among the 60-plus military, police and civilian peacekeepers to be honoured posthumously with a prestigious UN medal on Thursday for their service and supreme sacrifice. Naik Dhananjay Kumar Singh served with the UN Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO).

Singh was honoured posthumously with the Dag Hammarskjold medal during a solemn ceremony when the UN commemorated the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ruchira Kamboj received the award from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on his behalf.

“Today, the Secretary General awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal to honor Naik Dhananjay Kumar Singh, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. His professionalism and dedication will never be forgotten. We stand in solidarity with his family and honour his legacy of service to the cause of peace,” said Kamboj in a post on X.

Who was Dhananjay Kumar Singh?

Singh, who belonged to the Army Medical Corps, was a nursing assistant with MONUSCO and provided medical services to military personnel. He was made part of the Indian Battalion-1 on July 7, 2023. His responsibilities included vaccination of troops on the ground, their medical examination, and regular “medic” duties like combat medical care.

According to reports, he served at a Level-1 hospital ensuring round-the-clock operability of critical care and medical support. Singh died on November 1, 2023, due to ischemic heart disease while on duty. The disease is caused by poor blood flow to the heart, usually a result of coronary artery disease.

India is the second largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping. It currently deploys more than 6,000 military and police personnel to the UN operations in Abyei, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, the Middle East, Somalia, South Sudan, and Western Sahara.

Nearly 180 Indian peacekeepers have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, the highest number from any troop-contributing country. During formal ceremonies at the UN headquarters, Secretary-General Guterres laid a wreath at the Peacekeepers Memorial Site on the North Lawn to honour all UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948. In his message to mark Peacekeepers’ Day, Guterres said the world organisation pays tribute to the more than 76,000 United Nations peacekeepers who embody humanity’s highest ideal: peace.

“Day in and day out, at great personal risk, these women and men bravely work in some of the most dangerous and unstable places on earth to protect civilians, uphold human rights, support elections and strengthen institutions,” he said, noting that more than 4,300 peacekeepers have paid the ultimate price while serving under the UN flag. “We will never forget them.”

Indian woman peacekeeper receives UN Gender Advocate Award

Meanwhile, Major Radhika Sen, an Indian woman peacekeeper who served with the UN mission in Congo, was Thursday honoured with a prestigious military gender advocate award, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres describing her as a “true leader and role model.” Major Sen, who served with the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), received the ‘2023 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award’ from Guterres during a ceremony here on the occasion of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.

Major Sen served in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from March 2023 to April 2024 as the Commander of MONUSCO’s Engagement Platoon for the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion (INDRDB), a UN press release said. Meanwhile, the Indian Army congratulated Major Radhika on being conferred with the ‘UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year’ Award by António Guteress. “Her dedication and courage highlight the invaluable role of Women Peacekeepers in contributing towards a better world. She truly embodies the ethos of commitment and compassion of the Indian Peacekeepers around the world.

Born in Himachal Pradesh in 1993, Major Sen joined the Indian Army eight years ago. She graduated as a biotech engineer and was pursuing her Master’s degree from IIT Bombay when she decided to join the armed forces. She was deployed to MONUSCO in March 2023 as the Engagement Platoon Commander with the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion and completed her tenure in April 2024.

(with inputs from PTI)

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