The Brave: Param Vir Chakra Stories Read online

  He did not resist when an immense weariness enveloped him. He had lost too much blood. His task had been achieved and he was at peace. Closing his eyes, Capt. Gurbachan Singh Salaria of 3/1 Gorkha Rifles, dropped his rifle and fell, drifting into unconsciousness from which he would never awaken.

  Many years earlier, when Salaria had joined the Gorkha Rifles, he had been told that his regiment’s motto was: It is better to die than to be a coward: ‘Kafar hunu bhanda marnu ramro.’

  Salaria had lived up to the motto.

  Salaria fancied himself a palmist. Before the Congo deployment in February 1961, he had visited Chotta Shimla for some work and run into an excise officer, who used to read people’s palms. Reading Salaria’s hand, the officer told him that there was a star on his mount of Jupiter, which would bring him great fame. Salaria took the prediction very seriously and would often point it out to fellow officers in lighter moments. Maj Gen R. P. Singh remembers how in Congo one day when he and Salaria were discussing the abduction of Maj Ajeet by enemy soldiers, and hoping that Ajeet would be returned to them unharmed, Salaria told him quite seriously that he had read Ajeet’s hand and that he had a clear break in his lifeline. He quickly added though that Ajeet also had a supporting lifeline so nothing should happen to him.

  He then went on to show the general his own right hand. He again pointed out the star on his mount of Jupiter. ‘Wait and see, this star will take me to great heights, ‘ he said. Singh had leaned over to feel the mount, but only out of politeness. ‘I just shrugged it off as I never took his knowledge of palmistry seriously, ‘ the general recounts. ‘I did not know that his day of reckoning and attaining fame was just a few days away. Or that he would never know of this fame since it would come when he was in his heavenly abode, ‘ he says quietly.

  Instead he just told Salaria that no one could stop anyone from achieving fame if it was written in their destiny. Soon after Salaria left after refusing a dinner offer, Singh took out a copy of Cheiro’s book on palmistry that he had in his suitcase and read about the star on the mount of Jupiter. ‘These people are ambitious, fearless and determined in all that they undertake. They are leaders. They concentrate on whatever they may be doing at that moment and see no way but their own, ‘ said the book. A cold shiver ran down Singh’s spine. He knew just how upset and angry Salaria was about Ajeet’s abduction and just how keen he was to teach the gendarmerie a lesson. A concerned Singh went down to the control room and asked the operator to check if Salaria had reached his location safely. He heaved a sigh of relief when confirmation came that he had.

  Gurbachan Singh Salaria was born on 29 November 1935 in a village called Janwal, near Shakargarh, now in Pakistan. The second of five children, he was a favourite of his grandmother, who would tie a black thread around his waist to keep the evil eye away from him. By that time, Adolf Hitler had already emerged as a dark force and war clouds were looming over the world.

  Gurbachan’s father Munshi Ram was in the Armoured Corps of the British Indian Army and would move from one Army cantonment to another, coming home only on annual or casual leave. When he did come home it was celebration time in the family. His favourite food would be cooked, the house would sparkle and friends and family drop in to listen to his awe-inspiring tales of faraway places where soldiers performed great acts of bravery. Little Gurbachan and his siblings would listen to their father in rapt attention as he sat smoking his hookah. Quite possibly this is how Gurbachan was inspired to be courageous.

  Gurbachan’s mother Dhan Devi had never been to school and was completely occupied with her growing children. She was, however, very particular that her children’s education did not suffer despite living in a village. Gurbachan would go to school regularly, but was always more occupied with games and outdoor activities rather than studying. He was a good kabaddi player, and continued to be good at sports even after he cleared the entrance to King George’s Royal Military College (KGRMC), Bangalore, at 11 years of age. Though he was initially rejected in the physical exam because his chest was found to be an inch less than the stipulated measurements, he was given a month to try again. He took the challenge head on, drinking one litre of goat’s milk every day and exercising passionately.

  When he went back for his medical, he had managed to increase his chest by two-and-a-half inches and was immediately admitted. He joined the college in August 1946 as a cadet. In 1947, he was transferred to KGRMC Jullundur, which was closer to his village.

  When he was in his second year, Gurbachan and a friend were once bullied and insulted by another cadet. Gurbachan’s self-respect took a blow but he challenged the bully to a boxing match the next day. He boxed with such fury that the bully was knocked out and had to apologize. The operation in Congo was very reminiscent of this incident; where Gurbachan took on a much bigger and better equipped enemy fighting force just because he wanted to teach them a lesson in war ethics.

  Gurbachan went on to the National Defence Academy and then the Indian Military Academy. He joined 2/3 Gorkha Rifles in July 1954 where because of his cropped hair cut and upturned moustache he was nicknamed Khan Saheb by his commanding officer. In March 1960, he received orders transferring him to 3/1 Gorkha Rifles. And that was where General R. P. Singh, who was then the battalion adjutant, met him.

  General Singh found Salaria to be a simple man, spartan and very careful with money, unlike other young officers, many of whom had extravagant tastes. In fact, Salaria once told him, he recalled, that he was sending money home to finance the education of his younger brother Sukhdev, at college in Jammu.

  Sukhdev is now 75 and lives in Pathankot. He is bedridden and has lost his sense of balance, but he remembers fondly how, when he and Gurbachan were little boys—Gurbachan was older by two years—they would go swimming in the small stream that ran across their village. ‘We had no worries then; we would splash around in the stream. What beautiful days they were. Now Gurbachan is gone and I can’t walk, but whenever I think of him that is the first memory that streams into my head, ‘ says the old man, sinking back into silence. He has more memories to recount but his strength fails him.

  This story is based on conversations with Major General (Retd) R. P. Singh, AVSM, VSM, who has written A Star on the Mount of Jupiter, a book on Captain Salaria, giving the Indian brigade’s account in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Congo.

  THE INDO-CHINESE WAR OF 1962

  The blunder committed by political as well as military leadership by misreading the Chinese game and neglecting the Indian Army’s preparedness, made India suffer a humiliating defeat in the Sino-Indian war. The only thing that stood out was the iron will and cold courage of the soldiers who, though completely outnumbered and ill-equipped, fought to defend their country’s honour.

  The seeds of the war were sown in the Aksai Chin area which India considered a part of Kashmir but China considered a part of Xinjiang. Tension was compounded further after the Tibetan uprising of1959, when India granted asylum to the Dalai Lama. This led to unpleasantness with China and some violent incidents on the border.

  India then started sending patrols into disputed areas with China. The aim was to create outposts behind the advancing Chinese Army so that their supplies could be cut off. India initiated a Forward Policy in which it placed outposts along the border. These included some posts which were placed north of the McMohan Line, the eastern part of the Line of Actual Control.

  Initially, the plan seemed to work but later China took this as a threat and decided to teach India a lesson. A romantic and politically shortsighted Nehru however did not increase military spending on preparation for a possible war with China. Not only was the Army denied equipment, the renowned 4th Infantry Division was used to build houses instead of preparing for war.

  Nehru appointed Lt General B. M. Kaul as Chief of Army Staff in 1961. General Kaul was confident that China would not retaliate when India sent patrols into areas disputed with China. The Chinese, however, slowly started encircling th
e Indian positions.

  Maj Dhan Singh Thapa’s post at Sirijap in Ladakh was one such case. In fact, such was the confidence that China would not attack that he had even been granted leave to go home just a few days before the Chinese attacked Sirijap.

  Major Thapa was waiting for his reliever when the Chinese attacked, massacring nearly the entire company and taking the survivors back as Prisoners of War. Maj Thapa, awarded a Param Vir Chakra posthumously since he was believed dead, was one of these POWs.

  As early as August, China had started accumulating arms, ammunition and rations and the signs were clear that they were preparing for war. India, however, turned a blind eye to all this. Subedar Joginder Singh, awarded a Param Vir Chakra posthumously, waited across a stream in the Bumla axis in Arunachal Pradesh, then called the North-East Frontier Agency, watching the Chinese prepare their defences.

  Indian forces were unprepared, ill-equipped and did not even have proper winter clothing when on 12 October Jawaharlal Nehru declared that he had ordered the Indian Army to throw the Chinese out of NEFA. On 14 October, an editorial in the People’s Daily in China issued a warning to India and Nehru, ‘At this critical moment, we still want to appeal once more to Mr Nehru: better rein in at the edge of the precipice and do not use the lives of Indian troops as stakes in your gamble,’ it said. On 20 October, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army launched two attacks on India. One of these was in Thag La, NEFA, while the other was in the Chushul sector of Ladakh. Both the attacks were massive in terms of troop concentration. On the Indian side, single companies of around 120 soldiers defended posts that were surrounded by thousands of enemy soldiers armed with machine guns, mortars and grenades. The Battle of Rezang La, where almost every man died fighting and Major Shaitan Singh got his Param Vir Chakra posthumously, is still remembered as a tale of tragic heroism where brave soldiers unquestioningly gave up their lives for the mistakes of shaky government heads and bad military leaders.

  The Sino-Indian War was fought at altitudes over 14, 000 feet. The lessons learnt from it were: good intelligence and war readiness are imperative to winning wars, good command at the senior level means generals be appointed on military merit and not sycophancy, politicians should not ignore the advice of military officers regarding military readiness, and that incompetent people who rise to the top mess up nations.

  The only shining stars of the ‘62 war were the brave soldiers of the Indian Army, who fought valiantly and often to death to protect their territories. The Indian soldiers lacked everything except courage, it has been famously said. These brave hearts fought in high attitudes and freezing temperatures. They used old and cumbersome. 303 rifles against Chinese automatics. They were outnumbered and completely mauled by the well-prepared Chinese Army but they continued to fight for the honour of their nation.

  Many brave stories of unassuming heroes in uniform came out of this war. Three of them were of Subedar Joginder Singh, Maj Dhan Singh Thapa and Maj Shaitan Singh. All three were awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously but miraculously Maj Thapa returned from the dead a few months after the Battle of Sirijap. He had been taken Prisoner of War by the Chinese.

  Their brave tales of unbelievable courage and fortitude tell us how soldiers don’t forget their responsibilities even if politicians do.

  Dhan Singh Thapa

  Battle For Sirijap 1, Ladakh Region

  20 October 1962

  The Gorkha soldier is in his early 20s. He is firing from his trench. His slim fingers hold the. 303 rifle so close to his slight frame that it appears to be an extension of his body. A helmet covers his young face.

  It is freezing cold but there are beads of sweat on his brow. He is shooting at the Chinese, who are coming in a massive wave, their automatic rifles spraying bullets blindly at the men defending Sirijap 1. The post lies on the northern edge of the Pangong Tso and is manned by the Delta Company of the first battalion of 8 Gorkha Rifles.

  The soldier uses his bullets with care. He knows ammunition is running short and he and his comrades are completely outnumbered. There were 28 of them when the Chinese started shelling at 6 a. m. but nearly half of them now lie around him, some dead, others dying.

  Just then, a shell blows up a bunker that collapses right on top of Subedar Min Bahadur Gurung, the company second-in- command. Gurung Sahab crawls out of the debris, injured and bleeding, light machine gun (LMG) still in his hand. He starts firing at the enemy again, his mud-streaked face a mask of cold control. Major Dhan Singh Thapa, commander, D Company, continues to move from trench to trench, inspiring those left of his men to be brave.

  Just then a bullet hits the soldier in the hand. He drops the rifle and, screaming with pain, runs into the tent that still stands intact. Without losing a second, Maj Thapa reaches for the fallen gun and carries it inside. He finds the terrified soldier cringing in a corner, nursing his injured hand.

  Thapa walks across to him and pats him on the head softly. ‘Kafar hunu bhanda marnu ramro’ (It is better to die than be a coward), he says, handing the gun back to the young man. ‘If we have to die we’ll all die together, but kill a few before you die.’

  With that Maj Thapa turns around and quickly makes his way back to where a soldier lies dead with his LMG still in his hands. He pulls the gun and gets into the trench himself, positioning himself in front of the advancing enemy. From the corner of his eye he sees the injured soldier walking back with a determined look on his face and the rifle in his blood-stained hands.

  The battle that took place at Sirijap 1 in the Chushul sector of Ladakh is immortalized in military history for the dynamic leadership of Maj Dhan Singh Thapa. He was the man who inspired his brave Gorkhas to fight to the last.

  Sirijap 1 was one of the many posts established as part of the forward policy that had been employed by India to counter the Chinese, who had been establishing posts in Ladakh. Since the men of D Company had to be split among a number of posts, only about 28 soldiers were placed at Sirijap 1. A Chinese attack wasn’t really expected there and the Major, who had gone to Ladakh leaving his pregnant wife behind in Dehradun, had even been granted one week’s leave to go home and the officer sent to relieve him had reached Leh. But despite getting permission to proceed on leave, Thapa had insisted upon waiting for his replacement to take over Sirijap since he did not want to leave his company headless.

  On 19 October, Maj Thapa was surprised to find hectic activity on the enemy side and build-up of the Chinese forces on the posts. Suspecting a possible attack, Maj Thapa and his men began preparing their defence. The ground was hard and frozen and it was very difficult to dig in so they piled up sandbags to reinforce their bunkers.

  The men waited anxiously that entire night. There were just 28 of them! But Maj Thapa inspired them with his words of courage. ‘Don’t forget that one Gorkha is equal to 10 others,’ he told them with quiet confidence.

  ‘We did not panic in any way, neither were we afraid of anything except the biting cold outside the trenches, where freezing winds would blow during our patrols at night, ‘ Subedar Major Tulsi Ram Thapa, a survivor, will tell Poonam (Maj Thapa’s youngest daughter) many years later when she is researching for a biography on her father). ‘We had enough clothing. Each of us was issued three pairs of woollen socks, woollen undergarments, trousers, goggles, jackets, sleeping bags, camouflage raincoats, etc., and physically we were quite comfortable. Some of us had even received letters from home. ‘

  That dark night passed without any untoward incident and slowly the soldiers who were not on duty closed their eyes for some rest. At 6 a. m. on 20 October, there was a blast and Sirijap 1 shook under heavy artillery fire. Bombs exploded and the air rang with the deadly hiss of shells and screams of those hit, followed by the boom of heavy mortars. The explosions destroyed the bunkers the Gorkhas had constructed and caused devastation amongst their small force. Many soldiers were killed in their trenches, many more wounded. Very soon the radio network was also disrupted, cutting the company off co
mpletely from the rest of the battalion.

  Signal officer Maj Ved Vyas will later remember the last message received from Maj Thapa. ‘Neither will I withdraw, nor will I surrender, ‘ he had said.

  The observation post at Tokung, a ferry point for boats that were used for the maintenance of posts in the Pangong Tso area, was the only place from where soldiers could witness the battle of Sirijap. The soldiers say the shelling went on for more than two hours and Sirijap looked like it had been set on fire.

  While the shelling was on, the Chinese Army managed to get close to the company position. No sooner had the shelling stopped than they attacked in a strength of more than 500. The Gorkhas put up a very brave fight. Most of them were in their early 20s with just a few years of service. Their LMGs and .303s were no match for the sophisticated arms and ammunition with the enemy, but they still managed to create havoc in the Chinese army. Small and slim in stature, they did not lack in courage. Led by their company commander, who was himself just 33 years old, they fixed the enemy soldiers in their gun-sights and shot them down the moment they came close.

  The sheer numbers of the Chinese, however, were overwhelming. Every time they repulsed an advance the enemy would attack in even larger numbers. Naik Krishna Bahadur Thapa, in charge of one section, was hit by a splinter that severed his leg. In spite of his grievous wound, he picked up the LMG of a dead comrade and continued to fire at the advancing enemy till he was hit by another volley of bullets and dropped dead.

  The men who survived remember how Maj Thapa rose above all others. He proved to them that he was a true commander. While the firing was on, he boldly went around bunkers without a thought for his own safety, strengthening breaches, replacing men who had died or were injured and encouraging the remaining with his brave words. He inspired them to hang on courageously and not bother about what was bound to happen.