Indian peacekeeper Naik Dhananjay Kumar Singh, who lost his life serving under the UN flag last year, was posthumously honoured with the prestigious Dag Hammarskjöld Medal at the United Nations on May 30th. This award was given in recognition of his service and supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. 

Naik Dhananjay Kumar Singh died while serving in the UN Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO). He was among over 60 military, police, and civilian peacekeepers honoured by the UN for their service and supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. 

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, received the medal from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. 

“Today, the Secretary-General awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal to honour 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,” Ambassador Kamboj tweeted on May 30, 2024. 

Naik Singh, a member of the Army Medical Corps, served as a nursing assistant with MONUSCO, providing medical services to military personnel. He was assigned to the Indian Battalion-1 on July 7, 2023. His responsibilities included vaccinating troops on the ground, conducting medical examinations, and performing regular "medic" duties, such as providing combat medical care. 

In Congo, Naik Singh served at a Level-1 hospital, ensuring the round-the-clock operability of critical care and medical support, according to a report by The Print. He died on November 1, 2023, due to ischemic heart disease, which is caused by poor blood flow to the heart, typically resulting from coronary artery disease. 

India is the second largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping, currently deploying more than 6,000 military and police personnel to 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 United Nations Headquarters on May 30, Secretary-General Antonio 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. 

He presided over a ceremony during which the Dag Hammarskjöld Medals were awarded posthumously to 64 military, police, and civilian peacekeepers who lost their lives serving under the UN flag, including 61 who died last year. 

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,” Guterres said. In 1948, a historic decision was made to deploy military observers to the Middle East to supervise the implementation of the Israel-Arab Armistice Agreements, leading to the establishment of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation. 

Image Source: News18