That was precisely my point in my first post as well, why all this rajput or any other thing? As I said, they all died for the nation and everybody in it, so let's all just salute their service without bringing racism or ethnicism here.
Stories of the brave Indian Soldiers
- Thread starter vivINDIAN
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That was precisely my point in my first post as well, why all this rajput or any other thing? As I said, they all died for the nation and everybody in it, so let's all just salute their service without bringing racism or ethnicism here.
Lostsoldier
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My comments were not meant to show any type of racisim or supeiority
if u felt so, i am sorrry
after all we are brothers
Jai Hind
Jai Dev
Jai Bhawani
Jaggu
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Indian army is composed of Rajputs, Sikhs, Jats, Gurkhas and others. All of them are brave people.
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bornmoron
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I Care,,We all Care,,,,,, & i am not a Sikh.....
POST REPORTED.
Kurama
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The Hero of Skardu
Since Independence, India has witnessed three wars with Pakistan in Kashmir. The stories of gallant deeds and valour of our soldiers continue to haunt our minds. One such heroic tale is of late Brigadier Sher Jung Thapa, MVC. But for his siege of Skardu in the Ladakh region of Kashmir for over six months, Ladakh might have been wiped out from the Indian map. Brigadier Sher Jung Thapa died in Dharamsala a couple of months ago at the age of 90 years. He is remembered and revered as the Hero of Skardu. Though he is no more, his heroic deeds are today part of the glorious history of the Indian Army. Sher Jung Thapa was born in Abbottabad on 18 June 1908. His grandfather and father were distinguished soldiers. Thapa had his college education at Dharamsala. He was an excellent hockey player and frequently played with stalwarts of 1 Gorkha Rifles, Regimental Centre, Dharamsala. In the hockey field, he became a close friend of Captain Douglas Gracy, Adjutant of 1 GR RC, who encouraged Thapa to join the forces of Jammu & Kashmir state as an officer. Thapa took his advice and was commissioned on 01 September 1932. Thapa met Gracy again after a lapse of 25 years under different circumstances.
Lieutenant Colonel Thapa was a Prisoner of War (PoW) in Pakistan and General Sir Douglas Gracy was the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army. Lieutenant Colonel Thapa's friendship with General Gracy came to his rescue otherwise he would have met the fate of other prisoners of war who were killed by the Pakistani Army. A small and narrow valley at a height of 7500 feet above sea level, Skardu is divided into two parts by the Indus river. Before the arrival of Lieutenant Colonel Sher Jung Thapa at Skardu, the Wazir Amar Nath Mahajan saw the signs of a gathering storm. Skardu tehsil had a greater area under it than a normal tehsil. There were five jagirdars called Rajas, who exercised considerable influence over the population in their respective areas. They were Raja of Rondu; Raja of Khapalu; Raja of Shigar; Raja of Skardu and Raja of Kharmang. On 11 February 1948, Skardu was surrounded by an enemy of about 600 troops, while the strength of soldiers under Lieutenant Colonel Thapa of 6 JAK Rifles was only 130. He had to face many odds during the war against the Pakistani forces as scores of Muslims in the Skardu area had secretly joined the enemy. Not only this, many of the Muslim soldiers in Indian platoons deserted the army and joined the enemy. So much so that three Muslim wireless operators operating from the Bungalow of Lieutenant Colonel Thapa also deserted, thus jeopardising the signals. Once having worked as Brigade Signal Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Thapa himself operated the wireless set.
Lieutenant Colonel M.L. Chhiber (Retd.) in his book Pakistan's Criminal Folly in Kashmir has quoted Brigadier Thapa on the indifferent attitude of Muslim community in Skardu area towards Indian troops. He said, "Every Muslim civil officer, schoolboys, servants of local shopkeepers and all who were employed to secure information about the enemy did not do so. They knew that the enemy was coming. They took all precautions to see that we were kept in the dark and then were attacked by surprise. This attitude of the Muslims there goes to prove how determined, united and eager they were. They wanted the Pakistan flag to fly. The Pakistan agents here did a thorough job." Gradually, the ration position started worsening. The Dogra soldiers who were addicted to smoking, used tree leaves and rice husk for smoking. They even went to the extent of rolling up tea leaves in mulberry leaves to make cigarettes.
Recounting those days later, Sher Jung Thapa said: "I vividly remembered 17 June 1948. We saw Sepoy Amarnath of 5 Kashmir Infantry being captured by the enemy at Parkutta. He was sent by the enemy to persuade us to surrender. The man was tutored to demoralise our men. He carried a letter from Colonel Shahazada-Mata-Ul-Malek, commanding the enemy forces. The offer was outrightly rejected by me." The night falling between 13 and 14 August 1948, saw a fierce battle at Skardu between Pakistani and Indian troops. Thapa said, "We used our last box of ammunition. Everyone knew our plight and there was panic and chaos all over. The women started committing suicide by jumping into the Indus and poisoning themselves in order to save their honour. There was an instance where a girl jumped thrice into the Indus to kill herself but each time the waves carried her back to the shore. My troops fought under very adverse conditions and held Skardu for six months and three days. Then was left with no alternative but to surrender. The surrender was followed by mass murder. All the Sikhs were shot dead. Captain Ganga Singh, my Adjutant was tied, laid on the ground and shot. The only Sikh who escaped was Kalyan Singh, my orderly who was staying with me."
In 1949, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited Srinagar soon after the ceasefire to see the troops in the frontline. General Thimayya, Commander of 19 Infantry Division, also addressed the officers. In his address, General Thimayya said: "My strategy to save Ladakh was to hold on to Skardu at all costs so that Pakistani forces may be prevented from reaching Kargil and Leh. Fortunately, I had the right man in Skardu to fulfil this mission. No words can describe the gallantry and leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Sher Jung Thapa who held on to Skardu with hardly 250 men for six long months. It is one of the longest sieges in the annals of war. While ordering him to defend Skardu to the last man and last round, I had promised to send him reinforcements and supplies. Unfortunately neither could reach Skardu. I also tried to air drop more rations and ammunition but these were merely helping the enemy. At the end of six months, when he completely ran out of ration and ammunition, I asked him to surrender. My General Staff Officer, Colonel Shri Ram Oberoi, gave this order to the gallant officer on radio in August 1948. Thapa's response is etched on my mind and I can never forget it. He said, 'I know that I cannot hold out without rations and ammunitions. General Thimayya has failed me. I know the fate my troops will meet after surrendering to the enemy. I cannot do anything now against the enemy but I will certainly take revenge in my next life.' It is officers of this stamp who make great armies and great nations." Lieutenant Colonel Thapa was conferred with Maha Vir Chakra and he retired as a Brigadier in 1960. The extracts from the citation for MVC are worth quoting, "Throughout the period of siege, Lieutenant Colonel Sher Jung Thapa showed outstanding leadership and great determination in holding out...in spite of the enemy offering him liberal surrender terms and knowing that there was no hope of ever being relieved. By his personal example and indomitable spirit he kept the morale of both his troops and civilian refugees at a high level...his conduct has been in the best traditions of the Indian Army."
The Soldier who won India's First Param Vir Chakra
Lately many pleas have been made that Mohammed Afzal Guru's execution should be stayed because his death could fuel separatism in Jammu & Kashmir. The state chief minister himself has been an ardent advocate for clemency for the terrorist who attacked the Indian Parliament in December 2001 (and nearly provoked a war between India and Pakistan). The secular protagonists claim that his execution will make a martyr of Afzal. I will not enter into these fallacious arguments, but the time has perhaps come to remember a true martyr: Major Somnath Sharma who on 03 November 1947 saved Srinagar Airport (and Kashmir) at the supreme cost of his life. Had he not sacrificed his life, Afzal's defenders would not today make front page news in the Indian press, for the simple reason that they would be Pakistani citizens living under a military dictatorship.
Our story starts during in the early days of October 1947 when Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru received a message from a former deputy commissioner of Dera Ismail Khan [one of the province's main districts] in the North West Frontier Province. The bureaucrat warned of a scheme to send armed tribals from Pakistan to the Pakistan-Kashmir border; some of them had already moved towards the area in transport provided by the Pakistan government. Arms confiscated from non-Muslims had been supplied to these tribals. As Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir was reluctant to sign the Instrument of Accession to India, Prime Minister Nehru refused to take any action. Two weeks later a large contingent of Afridis, Mahsuds, Wazirs, Swathis and regular soldiers of the Pakistan army 'in mufti' began to enter Kashmir.
During the night of October 22nd, the 'raiders' burnt the town of Muzaffarabad. They then overran Uri and captured Mahura, the electric power station, fifty miles from Srinagar. The city of Srinagar was plunged in darkness. In these dramatic circumstances, V P Menon, Sardar Patel's faithful collaborator, went to Jammu and got Maharaja Hari Singh's signature on the printed Accession Form. He rushed back for the historic meeting in Delhi with India's Governor General, Lord Mountbatten in the chair. A young army colonel named Sam Manekshaw, who attended the meeting, recalled: 'As usual Nehru talked about the United Nations, Russia, Africa, God Almighty, everybody, until Sardar Patel lost his temper. He said, "Jawaharlal, do you want Kashmir, or do you want to give it away?" He [Nehru] said, "Of course, I want Kashmir." Then he [Patel] said: "Please give your orders."
Everything then moved very fast. Early the next morning, the first troops and equipment were airlifted from Palam airport [in Delhi] to Srinagar. A young major was sent on his first assignment to Kashmir. He was responsible for the logistic. His name was S K Sinha (today the governor of Jammu & Kashmir). He later wrote about the first Indian jawans reaching Srinagar: 'It was indeed inspiring to see grim determination writ large on their faces. They were all determined to do their best, no matter what handicap they had to contend with. I had never before seen such enthusiasm and fervour for duty.' They knew that all eyes in India were focused on them. At Srinagar airfield, just before returning to Delhi, Sinha met an old friend, Major Somnath Sharma of 4 Kumaon. He had come a day earlier from Delhi with a broken arm. Sinha found him rather disgusted with life. With his wretched hand in plaster, no one would give him an active assignment in Delhi.
His company had now been posted to Kashmir, but he was looking to be relieved soon from his present job and given something really active. His company's duty was only to protect the airport. Sinha tried to impress on Somnath the vital importance of the airfield to us and in that context the importance of the task assigned to him,' but says the governor, this sermonising could do little to fulfill his desire for being sent further forward. After spending an hour discussing and sipping a mug of tea reclining on his kitbag, Sinha left for Delhi. 'Little did I then know that within the next forty-eight hours, he was to die a hero's death and earn great renown, fighting most gallantly in very close proximity to where we then lay talking so leisurely.' But let us spend a moment on Somnath Sharma's life.
He was born as the eldest son of an army family. His father General A N Sharma, who retired as the first director general of the Armed Medical Services after Independence, was often in non-family postings. Som, as his friends and family called him, used to spend time with his maternal grandfather Pandit Daulat Ram in Srinagar. His favourite pastime was listening to his grandfather's on the Bhagavad Gita. This influence of Krishna's teachings to Arjun were to remain with Somnath till his last breath. At the age of 10, Som enrolled at the Prince of Wales Royal Military College in Dehra Dun and later joined the Royal Indian Military Academy. As a young Lieutenant, he chose to join the 8/19 Hyderabad Infantry Regiment. His maternal uncle Captain Krishna Dutt Vasudeva - who belonged to this regiment - had died defending a bridge on the River Slim in Malaya against the Japanese. His bravery had made it possible for hundreds of his jawans to cross over to safety. The example of his uncle greatly influenced him during his career.
Somnath fought in World War II under Colonel K S Thimmayya (later the army chief) in Burma with the British Army. An anecdote speaks tellingly about the character of the young officer. One day, Sharma's orderly Bahadur was badly wounded in action and was unable to return to the camp. Sharma lifted Bahadur on his shoulders and began walking. When Thimmayya found his officer lagging behind under the weight of his orderly, he ordered him -- "Leave this man, Som and rush back to the camp." Somnath retorted, "Sir, it is my own orderly that I am carrying; he is badly wounded and bleeding, l will not leave him behind." He eventually managed to carry Bahadur back, saving his life. He was awarded a Mention-in-Dispatch for this act of bravery. After the Japanese surrender in Kuala Lumpur in September 1945, Somnath returned from Malaya via Calcutta.
Before landing, a small incident occurred when the British Military Police came aboard to check for contraband. Som had an unauthorised pistol unofficially presented to him by some Japanese officer in addition to a Samurai sword (officially allotted to each officer). Somnath refused to lie or invent a story to bluff the British officer, he immediately threw the pistol into the sea through a porthole. Such was his straightforwardness! Two years later, India became independent, but fell prey to mad communal fighting. With his Kumaonis, Somnath was dispatched to aid the civil administration. From his headquarters at Parliament Street police station, he spent his time extinguishing fires between the two communities -- both well armed. To complicate the matter, streams of refugees were pouring in wave after wave to the capital. The Kumaon Regiment rose to the occasion, doing their duty honestly and impartially towards both communities. At that time, Somnath was moving around with his broken arm and a plaster from the wrist to the elbow.
When his company was ordered to move to Srinagar, Somnath, though technically 'unfit for active duty in war' insisted that he had to lead his company. Before leaving for Srinagar, he spent his last night in Delhi with Major K K Tewari, his best friend and Burma companion, at the Queen Victoria Road bachelor Officers' Mess in Delhi. They chatted late into the night. Somnath remarked at one point that he was going to war again but alone this time (without his friend). Having probably some premonition, he asked for a memento from Tewari who told him that he could take whatever he wanted from the room. Somnath went straight to the cupboard and took his automatic pistol, a German Luger. Quite upset, Tewari had no choice but to honour his promise. The next morning Somnath Sharma landed in Srinagar (where he met S K Sinha). The situation was fast deteriorating. Two days later on November 3, the 'raiders' reached Badgam a few miles away from the Srinagar airfield. Brigadier L P 'Bogey' Sen (later Lt Gen and GOC-in-C Eastern Command), the commander in Srinagar, immediately dispatched Sharma and his company to Badgam.
At 2:30 p.m., supported by 3-inch and 2-inch mortars, a 700-strong tribal force attacked the Indian jawans. Being outnumbered by 7 to 1, Sharma immediately sent a request to Brigadier Sen for reinforcements. He knew that if the enemy advanced any further, the airport would be lost and Kashmir would become a province of Pakistan; the airfield was the only lifeline between the Valley and the rest of India. His last wireless message to the headquarters stated: 'The enemy are only 50 yards from us. We are heavily outnumbered. We are under devastating fire. I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to the last man and the last round.' Soon after, Somnath Sharma was killed by a mortar.
Does India respect its fallen heroes?
By the evening, when reinforcement reached Badgam; it was too late. The Kumaonis had suffered over 50 per cent casualties though they had inflicted much heavier losses to the 'raiders' who lost 200 men and the airport and Kashmir. Major Somnath Sharma was awarded the first Param Vir Chakra, the highest Indian gallantry award (the Indian equivalent of Param Veer Chakra medalthe Victoria Cross). The citation read: 'Keeping his nerve, he skillfully directed the fire of his section into the ever-advancing enemy. He repeatedly exposed himself to the full fury of enemy fire and laid out cloth airstrips to guide our aircraft onto their targets in full view of the enemy. His leadership, gallantry and tenacious defence were such that his men were inspired to fight the enemy outnumbering them. Major Sharma set an example of courage and qualities seldom equaled in the history of the Indian Army.'
Three days later, Sharma's body was recovered. Though mutilated beyond recognition, a few pages of the Gita that he always kept in his breast pocket and the empty leather holster of Tewari's pistol helped to identify the body. The pistol was gone. During the last chat with his friend before flying to Kashmir, Somnath had joked that either he would die and win the Victoria Cross or become the army chief. It is his younger brother V N Sharma who in 1988 became chief of army staff. Today, the world has gone topsy-turvy: true heroes are forgotten and terrorists become martyrs.
Since Independence, India has witnessed three wars with Pakistan in Kashmir. The stories of gallant deeds and valour of our soldiers continue to haunt our minds. One such heroic tale is of late Brigadier Sher Jung Thapa, MVC. But for his siege of Skardu in the Ladakh region of Kashmir for over six months, Ladakh might have been wiped out from the Indian map. Brigadier Sher Jung Thapa died in Dharamsala a couple of months ago at the age of 90 years. He is remembered and revered as the Hero of Skardu. Though he is no more, his heroic deeds are today part of the glorious history of the Indian Army. Sher Jung Thapa was born in Abbottabad on 18 June 1908. His grandfather and father were distinguished soldiers. Thapa had his college education at Dharamsala. He was an excellent hockey player and frequently played with stalwarts of 1 Gorkha Rifles, Regimental Centre, Dharamsala. In the hockey field, he became a close friend of Captain Douglas Gracy, Adjutant of 1 GR RC, who encouraged Thapa to join the forces of Jammu & Kashmir state as an officer. Thapa took his advice and was commissioned on 01 September 1932. Thapa met Gracy again after a lapse of 25 years under different circumstances.
Lieutenant Colonel Thapa was a Prisoner of War (PoW) in Pakistan and General Sir Douglas Gracy was the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army. Lieutenant Colonel Thapa's friendship with General Gracy came to his rescue otherwise he would have met the fate of other prisoners of war who were killed by the Pakistani Army. A small and narrow valley at a height of 7500 feet above sea level, Skardu is divided into two parts by the Indus river. Before the arrival of Lieutenant Colonel Sher Jung Thapa at Skardu, the Wazir Amar Nath Mahajan saw the signs of a gathering storm. Skardu tehsil had a greater area under it than a normal tehsil. There were five jagirdars called Rajas, who exercised considerable influence over the population in their respective areas. They were Raja of Rondu; Raja of Khapalu; Raja of Shigar; Raja of Skardu and Raja of Kharmang. On 11 February 1948, Skardu was surrounded by an enemy of about 600 troops, while the strength of soldiers under Lieutenant Colonel Thapa of 6 JAK Rifles was only 130. He had to face many odds during the war against the Pakistani forces as scores of Muslims in the Skardu area had secretly joined the enemy. Not only this, many of the Muslim soldiers in Indian platoons deserted the army and joined the enemy. So much so that three Muslim wireless operators operating from the Bungalow of Lieutenant Colonel Thapa also deserted, thus jeopardising the signals. Once having worked as Brigade Signal Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Thapa himself operated the wireless set.
Lieutenant Colonel M.L. Chhiber (Retd.) in his book Pakistan's Criminal Folly in Kashmir has quoted Brigadier Thapa on the indifferent attitude of Muslim community in Skardu area towards Indian troops. He said, "Every Muslim civil officer, schoolboys, servants of local shopkeepers and all who were employed to secure information about the enemy did not do so. They knew that the enemy was coming. They took all precautions to see that we were kept in the dark and then were attacked by surprise. This attitude of the Muslims there goes to prove how determined, united and eager they were. They wanted the Pakistan flag to fly. The Pakistan agents here did a thorough job." Gradually, the ration position started worsening. The Dogra soldiers who were addicted to smoking, used tree leaves and rice husk for smoking. They even went to the extent of rolling up tea leaves in mulberry leaves to make cigarettes.
Recounting those days later, Sher Jung Thapa said: "I vividly remembered 17 June 1948. We saw Sepoy Amarnath of 5 Kashmir Infantry being captured by the enemy at Parkutta. He was sent by the enemy to persuade us to surrender. The man was tutored to demoralise our men. He carried a letter from Colonel Shahazada-Mata-Ul-Malek, commanding the enemy forces. The offer was outrightly rejected by me." The night falling between 13 and 14 August 1948, saw a fierce battle at Skardu between Pakistani and Indian troops. Thapa said, "We used our last box of ammunition. Everyone knew our plight and there was panic and chaos all over. The women started committing suicide by jumping into the Indus and poisoning themselves in order to save their honour. There was an instance where a girl jumped thrice into the Indus to kill herself but each time the waves carried her back to the shore. My troops fought under very adverse conditions and held Skardu for six months and three days. Then was left with no alternative but to surrender. The surrender was followed by mass murder. All the Sikhs were shot dead. Captain Ganga Singh, my Adjutant was tied, laid on the ground and shot. The only Sikh who escaped was Kalyan Singh, my orderly who was staying with me."
In 1949, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited Srinagar soon after the ceasefire to see the troops in the frontline. General Thimayya, Commander of 19 Infantry Division, also addressed the officers. In his address, General Thimayya said: "My strategy to save Ladakh was to hold on to Skardu at all costs so that Pakistani forces may be prevented from reaching Kargil and Leh. Fortunately, I had the right man in Skardu to fulfil this mission. No words can describe the gallantry and leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Sher Jung Thapa who held on to Skardu with hardly 250 men for six long months. It is one of the longest sieges in the annals of war. While ordering him to defend Skardu to the last man and last round, I had promised to send him reinforcements and supplies. Unfortunately neither could reach Skardu. I also tried to air drop more rations and ammunition but these were merely helping the enemy. At the end of six months, when he completely ran out of ration and ammunition, I asked him to surrender. My General Staff Officer, Colonel Shri Ram Oberoi, gave this order to the gallant officer on radio in August 1948. Thapa's response is etched on my mind and I can never forget it. He said, 'I know that I cannot hold out without rations and ammunitions. General Thimayya has failed me. I know the fate my troops will meet after surrendering to the enemy. I cannot do anything now against the enemy but I will certainly take revenge in my next life.' It is officers of this stamp who make great armies and great nations." Lieutenant Colonel Thapa was conferred with Maha Vir Chakra and he retired as a Brigadier in 1960. The extracts from the citation for MVC are worth quoting, "Throughout the period of siege, Lieutenant Colonel Sher Jung Thapa showed outstanding leadership and great determination in holding out...in spite of the enemy offering him liberal surrender terms and knowing that there was no hope of ever being relieved. By his personal example and indomitable spirit he kept the morale of both his troops and civilian refugees at a high level...his conduct has been in the best traditions of the Indian Army."
The Soldier who won India's First Param Vir Chakra
Lately many pleas have been made that Mohammed Afzal Guru's execution should be stayed because his death could fuel separatism in Jammu & Kashmir. The state chief minister himself has been an ardent advocate for clemency for the terrorist who attacked the Indian Parliament in December 2001 (and nearly provoked a war between India and Pakistan). The secular protagonists claim that his execution will make a martyr of Afzal. I will not enter into these fallacious arguments, but the time has perhaps come to remember a true martyr: Major Somnath Sharma who on 03 November 1947 saved Srinagar Airport (and Kashmir) at the supreme cost of his life. Had he not sacrificed his life, Afzal's defenders would not today make front page news in the Indian press, for the simple reason that they would be Pakistani citizens living under a military dictatorship.
Our story starts during in the early days of October 1947 when Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru received a message from a former deputy commissioner of Dera Ismail Khan [one of the province's main districts] in the North West Frontier Province. The bureaucrat warned of a scheme to send armed tribals from Pakistan to the Pakistan-Kashmir border; some of them had already moved towards the area in transport provided by the Pakistan government. Arms confiscated from non-Muslims had been supplied to these tribals. As Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir was reluctant to sign the Instrument of Accession to India, Prime Minister Nehru refused to take any action. Two weeks later a large contingent of Afridis, Mahsuds, Wazirs, Swathis and regular soldiers of the Pakistan army 'in mufti' began to enter Kashmir.
During the night of October 22nd, the 'raiders' burnt the town of Muzaffarabad. They then overran Uri and captured Mahura, the electric power station, fifty miles from Srinagar. The city of Srinagar was plunged in darkness. In these dramatic circumstances, V P Menon, Sardar Patel's faithful collaborator, went to Jammu and got Maharaja Hari Singh's signature on the printed Accession Form. He rushed back for the historic meeting in Delhi with India's Governor General, Lord Mountbatten in the chair. A young army colonel named Sam Manekshaw, who attended the meeting, recalled: 'As usual Nehru talked about the United Nations, Russia, Africa, God Almighty, everybody, until Sardar Patel lost his temper. He said, "Jawaharlal, do you want Kashmir, or do you want to give it away?" He [Nehru] said, "Of course, I want Kashmir." Then he [Patel] said: "Please give your orders."
Everything then moved very fast. Early the next morning, the first troops and equipment were airlifted from Palam airport [in Delhi] to Srinagar. A young major was sent on his first assignment to Kashmir. He was responsible for the logistic. His name was S K Sinha (today the governor of Jammu & Kashmir). He later wrote about the first Indian jawans reaching Srinagar: 'It was indeed inspiring to see grim determination writ large on their faces. They were all determined to do their best, no matter what handicap they had to contend with. I had never before seen such enthusiasm and fervour for duty.' They knew that all eyes in India were focused on them. At Srinagar airfield, just before returning to Delhi, Sinha met an old friend, Major Somnath Sharma of 4 Kumaon. He had come a day earlier from Delhi with a broken arm. Sinha found him rather disgusted with life. With his wretched hand in plaster, no one would give him an active assignment in Delhi.
His company had now been posted to Kashmir, but he was looking to be relieved soon from his present job and given something really active. His company's duty was only to protect the airport. Sinha tried to impress on Somnath the vital importance of the airfield to us and in that context the importance of the task assigned to him,' but says the governor, this sermonising could do little to fulfill his desire for being sent further forward. After spending an hour discussing and sipping a mug of tea reclining on his kitbag, Sinha left for Delhi. 'Little did I then know that within the next forty-eight hours, he was to die a hero's death and earn great renown, fighting most gallantly in very close proximity to where we then lay talking so leisurely.' But let us spend a moment on Somnath Sharma's life.
He was born as the eldest son of an army family. His father General A N Sharma, who retired as the first director general of the Armed Medical Services after Independence, was often in non-family postings. Som, as his friends and family called him, used to spend time with his maternal grandfather Pandit Daulat Ram in Srinagar. His favourite pastime was listening to his grandfather's on the Bhagavad Gita. This influence of Krishna's teachings to Arjun were to remain with Somnath till his last breath. At the age of 10, Som enrolled at the Prince of Wales Royal Military College in Dehra Dun and later joined the Royal Indian Military Academy. As a young Lieutenant, he chose to join the 8/19 Hyderabad Infantry Regiment. His maternal uncle Captain Krishna Dutt Vasudeva - who belonged to this regiment - had died defending a bridge on the River Slim in Malaya against the Japanese. His bravery had made it possible for hundreds of his jawans to cross over to safety. The example of his uncle greatly influenced him during his career.
Somnath fought in World War II under Colonel K S Thimmayya (later the army chief) in Burma with the British Army. An anecdote speaks tellingly about the character of the young officer. One day, Sharma's orderly Bahadur was badly wounded in action and was unable to return to the camp. Sharma lifted Bahadur on his shoulders and began walking. When Thimmayya found his officer lagging behind under the weight of his orderly, he ordered him -- "Leave this man, Som and rush back to the camp." Somnath retorted, "Sir, it is my own orderly that I am carrying; he is badly wounded and bleeding, l will not leave him behind." He eventually managed to carry Bahadur back, saving his life. He was awarded a Mention-in-Dispatch for this act of bravery. After the Japanese surrender in Kuala Lumpur in September 1945, Somnath returned from Malaya via Calcutta.
Before landing, a small incident occurred when the British Military Police came aboard to check for contraband. Som had an unauthorised pistol unofficially presented to him by some Japanese officer in addition to a Samurai sword (officially allotted to each officer). Somnath refused to lie or invent a story to bluff the British officer, he immediately threw the pistol into the sea through a porthole. Such was his straightforwardness! Two years later, India became independent, but fell prey to mad communal fighting. With his Kumaonis, Somnath was dispatched to aid the civil administration. From his headquarters at Parliament Street police station, he spent his time extinguishing fires between the two communities -- both well armed. To complicate the matter, streams of refugees were pouring in wave after wave to the capital. The Kumaon Regiment rose to the occasion, doing their duty honestly and impartially towards both communities. At that time, Somnath was moving around with his broken arm and a plaster from the wrist to the elbow.
When his company was ordered to move to Srinagar, Somnath, though technically 'unfit for active duty in war' insisted that he had to lead his company. Before leaving for Srinagar, he spent his last night in Delhi with Major K K Tewari, his best friend and Burma companion, at the Queen Victoria Road bachelor Officers' Mess in Delhi. They chatted late into the night. Somnath remarked at one point that he was going to war again but alone this time (without his friend). Having probably some premonition, he asked for a memento from Tewari who told him that he could take whatever he wanted from the room. Somnath went straight to the cupboard and took his automatic pistol, a German Luger. Quite upset, Tewari had no choice but to honour his promise. The next morning Somnath Sharma landed in Srinagar (where he met S K Sinha). The situation was fast deteriorating. Two days later on November 3, the 'raiders' reached Badgam a few miles away from the Srinagar airfield. Brigadier L P 'Bogey' Sen (later Lt Gen and GOC-in-C Eastern Command), the commander in Srinagar, immediately dispatched Sharma and his company to Badgam.
At 2:30 p.m., supported by 3-inch and 2-inch mortars, a 700-strong tribal force attacked the Indian jawans. Being outnumbered by 7 to 1, Sharma immediately sent a request to Brigadier Sen for reinforcements. He knew that if the enemy advanced any further, the airport would be lost and Kashmir would become a province of Pakistan; the airfield was the only lifeline between the Valley and the rest of India. His last wireless message to the headquarters stated: 'The enemy are only 50 yards from us. We are heavily outnumbered. We are under devastating fire. I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to the last man and the last round.' Soon after, Somnath Sharma was killed by a mortar.
Does India respect its fallen heroes?
By the evening, when reinforcement reached Badgam; it was too late. The Kumaonis had suffered over 50 per cent casualties though they had inflicted much heavier losses to the 'raiders' who lost 200 men and the airport and Kashmir. Major Somnath Sharma was awarded the first Param Vir Chakra, the highest Indian gallantry award (the Indian equivalent of Param Veer Chakra medalthe Victoria Cross). The citation read: 'Keeping his nerve, he skillfully directed the fire of his section into the ever-advancing enemy. He repeatedly exposed himself to the full fury of enemy fire and laid out cloth airstrips to guide our aircraft onto their targets in full view of the enemy. His leadership, gallantry and tenacious defence were such that his men were inspired to fight the enemy outnumbering them. Major Sharma set an example of courage and qualities seldom equaled in the history of the Indian Army.'
Three days later, Sharma's body was recovered. Though mutilated beyond recognition, a few pages of the Gita that he always kept in his breast pocket and the empty leather holster of Tewari's pistol helped to identify the body. The pistol was gone. During the last chat with his friend before flying to Kashmir, Somnath had joked that either he would die and win the Victoria Cross or become the army chief. It is his younger brother V N Sharma who in 1988 became chief of army staff. Today, the world has gone topsy-turvy: true heroes are forgotten and terrorists become martyrs.
vivINDIAN
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Major Udai Singh SM, SC (posthumous)
IC-57219 Capt. Udai Singh, SM
PARA/22 SPECIAL FORCES
Biography:
Major Udai Singh SC, SM was born at 2.15 pm on Monday October 7, 1974 in Allahabad. He had a happy, contented childhood spent in small cantonment towns across the country. St. Patricks at Deolali was his first school, after which he studied at St Georges, Agra & APS Delhi. His formative & most memorable years were spent at the Army Public School, Dagshai from where he passed out in 1992.
Not one for academics he excelled in games & sports & other extra curricular activities. He loved his alma mater & was forever grateful for the opportunity he’d had, taking time off to visit it as often as he could in the years to follow.
Udai, graduated from Deshbandhu College, Delhi with an honors degree in Political Science and was soon absorbed as a management trainee with the Taj Mansingh, Delhi. What he aspired to was a career in the Special Forces of the Indian Army
“I do not wish to spend my life waiting on hotel guests” he’d say. “I want to be that 5 star guest”.
His ambition was partly fulfilled on passing out from the IMA in June 1997. He was commissioned into the first battalion of the Parachute Regiment.
“My life in the army”, he confessed to a friend, ” is doomed if I do not clear the probation”.
Clear it he did and was with the paltan for five wonderful years before volunteering for the Special Group – the mavericks. He soon became one of them.
His brief career was spent almost entirely in the mountains of Kashmir with a few months here and there given to the short courses run by the army. He did the free fall & the para jumps along with a course in deep sea diving.
He loved what he did never regretting for an instant his choice of career. His life in the army was a source of great pride and enthusiasm. It was all that he had ever wished it to be.
Citations:
SENA MEDAL
SENA MEDAL (Gallantry)
IC-57219 Capt. Udai Singh
PARA/22 SPECIAL FORCES
1 JULY 2002
Captain Udai Singh was tasked to launch his troops immediately by night on 1 July 2002 in Danti Forest, Jammu and Kashmir.
At 1030hrs, the leading squad observed terrorist movement and immediately killed one terrorist. The remaining terrorist brought down a heavy volume of fire on the troops.
Acting dynamically with utmost tenacity taking advantage of thick forest and restricted visibility Capt. Udai Singh then moved along with his squad and closed on the terrorist under heavy volume of hostile fire.
Captain Udai Singh ruthlessly pursued single handedly with extreme courage and excellent marksmanship and tactical acumen under fire killing two more terrorists in close quarter combat.
For displayed conspicuous bravery, exemplary leadership and raw courage, Captain Udai Singh was awarded Sena Medal (Gallantry)
SHAURYA CHAKRASHAURYA CHAKRA
IC-57219 Capt. Udai Singh, SM
PARA/22 SPECIAL FORCES (Posthumous)
Major Udai Singh has developed a comprehensive schedule to demolish the intelligence and logistics network being provided to the terrorist by the Over Ground Workers in the general area in Rajouri District of Jammu and Kashmir. The officer commenced operations by launching a search and destroy operation in the general area at 0300hrs on 29th November 2003. The team physically reconnoitered the thickly forested area. At 1745hrs, in fading light, when the officer was leading his team to lay an ambush, the party suddenly came face to face with a group of terrorist who were approaching from higher ground at a close range of 10 meters. During the deadly fire fight that ensued, the officer sustained gun shot wound in the neck, while his buddy sustained multiple gun shot wounds. Displaying extraordinary courage, with utter disregard to personal safety, the officer continued to close in with the terrorists, killing one terrorist and wounding another. Major Udai Singh then helped extricating his fatally injured buddy before succumbing to his injuries.
Major Udai Singh displayed indomitable courage and exemplary leadership in fighting the terrorist and making the supreme sacrifice.
==================================================================
Nawang Kapadia
Lieutenant Nawang H. Kapadia (15 December 1975—11 November 2000), was an Indian Army officer who died fighting Pakistani Pathans in the jungles of Rajwar in Kupwara district of Srinagar on 11 November 2000.
Counter Terrorism Operation
On the 10th of November his Battalion received information of a large number of terrorists hiding in the jungles of Rajwar near Kupwara. Search and destroy operations were immediately launched with Nawang leading his own platoon. At approximately 11 a.m., a large hideout was discovered by the Battalion and the platoon came under fire from a group of eight to ten terrorists in the vicinity. Havaldar Chitra Bahadur was mortally wounded and Kapadia rushed to rescue him under the covering fire of his comrades. A terrorist who was hiding in the nearby foliage fired at Kapadia, hitting him in the face and killing him.
The encounter resulted in the deaths of two terrorists of the Al Omar Tanzeem, a Pakistan-based organization, with reports of two others grievously wounded and likely to have died. Large quantities of arms and ammunition were recovered, with the fight itself lasting over 36 hours. The terrorists who killed Kapadia were later killed by the same unit. They turned out to be Pakistani Pathans.
Nawang Kapadia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lt. Nawang Kapadia
IC-57219 Capt. Udai Singh, SM
PARA/22 SPECIAL FORCES
Biography:
Major Udai Singh SC, SM was born at 2.15 pm on Monday October 7, 1974 in Allahabad. He had a happy, contented childhood spent in small cantonment towns across the country. St. Patricks at Deolali was his first school, after which he studied at St Georges, Agra & APS Delhi. His formative & most memorable years were spent at the Army Public School, Dagshai from where he passed out in 1992.
Not one for academics he excelled in games & sports & other extra curricular activities. He loved his alma mater & was forever grateful for the opportunity he’d had, taking time off to visit it as often as he could in the years to follow.
Udai, graduated from Deshbandhu College, Delhi with an honors degree in Political Science and was soon absorbed as a management trainee with the Taj Mansingh, Delhi. What he aspired to was a career in the Special Forces of the Indian Army
“I do not wish to spend my life waiting on hotel guests” he’d say. “I want to be that 5 star guest”.
His ambition was partly fulfilled on passing out from the IMA in June 1997. He was commissioned into the first battalion of the Parachute Regiment.
“My life in the army”, he confessed to a friend, ” is doomed if I do not clear the probation”.
Clear it he did and was with the paltan for five wonderful years before volunteering for the Special Group – the mavericks. He soon became one of them.
His brief career was spent almost entirely in the mountains of Kashmir with a few months here and there given to the short courses run by the army. He did the free fall & the para jumps along with a course in deep sea diving.
He loved what he did never regretting for an instant his choice of career. His life in the army was a source of great pride and enthusiasm. It was all that he had ever wished it to be.
Citations:
SENA MEDAL
SENA MEDAL (Gallantry)
IC-57219 Capt. Udai Singh
PARA/22 SPECIAL FORCES
1 JULY 2002
Captain Udai Singh was tasked to launch his troops immediately by night on 1 July 2002 in Danti Forest, Jammu and Kashmir.
At 1030hrs, the leading squad observed terrorist movement and immediately killed one terrorist. The remaining terrorist brought down a heavy volume of fire on the troops.
Acting dynamically with utmost tenacity taking advantage of thick forest and restricted visibility Capt. Udai Singh then moved along with his squad and closed on the terrorist under heavy volume of hostile fire.
Captain Udai Singh ruthlessly pursued single handedly with extreme courage and excellent marksmanship and tactical acumen under fire killing two more terrorists in close quarter combat.
For displayed conspicuous bravery, exemplary leadership and raw courage, Captain Udai Singh was awarded Sena Medal (Gallantry)
SHAURYA CHAKRASHAURYA CHAKRA
IC-57219 Capt. Udai Singh, SM
PARA/22 SPECIAL FORCES (Posthumous)
Major Udai Singh has developed a comprehensive schedule to demolish the intelligence and logistics network being provided to the terrorist by the Over Ground Workers in the general area in Rajouri District of Jammu and Kashmir. The officer commenced operations by launching a search and destroy operation in the general area at 0300hrs on 29th November 2003. The team physically reconnoitered the thickly forested area. At 1745hrs, in fading light, when the officer was leading his team to lay an ambush, the party suddenly came face to face with a group of terrorist who were approaching from higher ground at a close range of 10 meters. During the deadly fire fight that ensued, the officer sustained gun shot wound in the neck, while his buddy sustained multiple gun shot wounds. Displaying extraordinary courage, with utter disregard to personal safety, the officer continued to close in with the terrorists, killing one terrorist and wounding another. Major Udai Singh then helped extricating his fatally injured buddy before succumbing to his injuries.
Major Udai Singh displayed indomitable courage and exemplary leadership in fighting the terrorist and making the supreme sacrifice.
==================================================================
Nawang Kapadia
Lieutenant Nawang H. Kapadia (15 December 1975—11 November 2000), was an Indian Army officer who died fighting Pakistani Pathans in the jungles of Rajwar in Kupwara district of Srinagar on 11 November 2000.
Counter Terrorism Operation
On the 10th of November his Battalion received information of a large number of terrorists hiding in the jungles of Rajwar near Kupwara. Search and destroy operations were immediately launched with Nawang leading his own platoon. At approximately 11 a.m., a large hideout was discovered by the Battalion and the platoon came under fire from a group of eight to ten terrorists in the vicinity. Havaldar Chitra Bahadur was mortally wounded and Kapadia rushed to rescue him under the covering fire of his comrades. A terrorist who was hiding in the nearby foliage fired at Kapadia, hitting him in the face and killing him.
The encounter resulted in the deaths of two terrorists of the Al Omar Tanzeem, a Pakistan-based organization, with reports of two others grievously wounded and likely to have died. Large quantities of arms and ammunition were recovered, with the fight itself lasting over 36 hours. The terrorists who killed Kapadia were later killed by the same unit. They turned out to be Pakistani Pathans.
Nawang Kapadia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lt. Nawang Kapadia
Last edited:
vivINDIAN
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Puneet Nath Datt
Puneet Nath Datta achieved the supreme aim of his life of serving his motherland, when he took part in an encounter that panned out as a cordon & search operation on specific information from a source cultivated by him regarding presence of foreign militants in a building in the Naushera locality of Srinagar. The operation started in wee hours of 20 July 1997 and the building was completely surrounded by 0400 hours. The militants were secure within the three storied building located in a thickly populated and congested area. At daybreak when the terrorists found that they were surrounded, instead of surrendering to the Indian Army, they resorted to indiscriminate firing. Utmost restraint had to be exercised while trying to liquidate the onslaught so as to avoid any damage to innocent civilian life and property in the vicinity of the building. One militant visualizing the hopeless situation ran out firing on the search party. Seeing the militant firing on his troops, he ordered his troops to take cover and with utter disregard to personal safety sprang up and shot the militant in an eye-to-eye encounter. Meanwhile sensing that the militants were trying to escape, he showed exemplary presence of mind & initiative and maneuvered his position to block the rear exit of the building. Displaying indomitable courage and guts, he shot down another militant who was trying to escape. The remaining militants inside the building meanwhile continued firing on our troops and as a result of which he was seriously wounded. But he did not give in and maintained his sustained crusade against foreign mercenaries and taking courage in both hands, lobbed a grenade inside the building, killing the remaining militants and destroying a considerable amount of the enemy's arms & ammunition. Almost single handedly destroying the enemy, our hero attained martyrdom and immortalized himself by carving a niche in the annals of his Regiment and the Indian Army's history. For his bravery and in recognition of the initiative and dare devilry displayed in the pursuit of his mission to eliminate militancy from the face of his motherland, 2nd Lieutenant Puneet Nath Datt was awarded the Ashok Chakra (posthumous), the country's highest gallantry award in peace time on 15 August 1997.
What those who interacted with Dicky say about him...
Complied by Captain Vikramjeet Singh
"A thorough soldier."
"You can't be that good."
"He was General material."
"Echo - 87 ka to ek hi tha - Puneet…."
"Sir, aap hi batao, kaya vo pagal nahin tha?"
"Sir, he was our role model; our inspiration."
"Nobody could face Major K.K. Arun. He did, and that too, in style."
"Sir, I am also from Echo squadron, or rather, Puneet Datt's squadron."
"He and I always had a clash. It was like a clash of the Titans. I salute him from deep inside my heart."
"A very nice guy. I don't know how and why I still remember him, when we all have a tendency to forget."
"As Company Sergeant Major, he was the godfather of the squadron. He shielded us from the seniors of other squadrons."
"I remember him because he showed doubts to the ACA, in NDA, in front of the whole academy and stood for what is right."
"As Company Sergeant Major, he demanded only one thing from us - to win the X-country. And, when we did that, he asked us all to relax."
"During the squadron cross – country practices, he would always come in the fourth enclosure. But, on the final day, he would finish in the second enclosure. How and from where did he get the strength to do so, we never understood."
0650 Hours, 18 September 1994 - MH NDA, Khadakwasla
by Sub Lieutenant Kartik Murthy, Indian Navy
CSM Puneet Nath Datt reports sick. On being asked his ailment by the Duty Medical Officer, Datt replies, "I do not want any category Sir, I have no problem."
"Why the hell did you report sick?" the doctor asks. Datt answers, "Sir today is the final inspection for the interior Economy Trophy. I wanted to miss drill so that I could supervise the finishing touches."
"How dare you report sick for such a reason? And you have the audacity to tell me this?" yells the DMO. Unflinchingly Datt replies, "Sir at least I told you the truth."
0819 Hours, 26 January 1998 - Rajpath, New Delhi
by Sub Lieutenant Kartik Murthy, Indian Navy
As the thin and frail woman stood facing the President of India, the noise and excitement of the Republic Day Parade faded into the background. Only the Tricolour stood out fluttering in the cold winter day. With stoic grace, she stood as the citation read out for her 24 year-old son, 2nd Lieutenant Puneet Nath Datt reverberated across the crowded Rajpath and beamed into the homes of millions of people across the nation. He was awarded the Ashoka Chakra, posthumously for the most conspicuous act of bravery, exemplary leadership and supreme sacrifice. As the President stepped forward to hand over the medal, the people watched in silence. And for one brief shining moment, the nation was one, elevated by the courage of a single man, and united in pride & grief for a young son of India who died following the Armed Forces' favourite aphorism "Death Before Dishonour".
It was indeed my proud privilege to have been very closely associated with this man, my hero. As a junior in his squadron, I always saw in him a resolute courage that stemmed out of his confidence in himself and the ideals he believed in. It was only because he had the courage to tell the DMO (Duty Medical Officer) the actual reason for reporting sick, it was only because he had the courage to run cross-country with high fever so that he wouldn't let the squadron down in its quest for a fourth consecutive glider, it was only because he had the guts to lose his band defending a junior in front of the Commandant who offered him his appointment in exchange of that junior's name, it was only because he had the moral courage to stand up for what he thought was right, that 2nd Lieutenant Puneet Nath Datt was not found wanting in physical courage, when his country asked of him the supreme sacrifice.
2nd Lt. Puneet Nath Datt [www.bharat-rakshak.com]
Puneet Nath Datta achieved the supreme aim of his life of serving his motherland, when he took part in an encounter that panned out as a cordon & search operation on specific information from a source cultivated by him regarding presence of foreign militants in a building in the Naushera locality of Srinagar. The operation started in wee hours of 20 July 1997 and the building was completely surrounded by 0400 hours. The militants were secure within the three storied building located in a thickly populated and congested area. At daybreak when the terrorists found that they were surrounded, instead of surrendering to the Indian Army, they resorted to indiscriminate firing. Utmost restraint had to be exercised while trying to liquidate the onslaught so as to avoid any damage to innocent civilian life and property in the vicinity of the building. One militant visualizing the hopeless situation ran out firing on the search party. Seeing the militant firing on his troops, he ordered his troops to take cover and with utter disregard to personal safety sprang up and shot the militant in an eye-to-eye encounter. Meanwhile sensing that the militants were trying to escape, he showed exemplary presence of mind & initiative and maneuvered his position to block the rear exit of the building. Displaying indomitable courage and guts, he shot down another militant who was trying to escape. The remaining militants inside the building meanwhile continued firing on our troops and as a result of which he was seriously wounded. But he did not give in and maintained his sustained crusade against foreign mercenaries and taking courage in both hands, lobbed a grenade inside the building, killing the remaining militants and destroying a considerable amount of the enemy's arms & ammunition. Almost single handedly destroying the enemy, our hero attained martyrdom and immortalized himself by carving a niche in the annals of his Regiment and the Indian Army's history. For his bravery and in recognition of the initiative and dare devilry displayed in the pursuit of his mission to eliminate militancy from the face of his motherland, 2nd Lieutenant Puneet Nath Datt was awarded the Ashok Chakra (posthumous), the country's highest gallantry award in peace time on 15 August 1997.
What those who interacted with Dicky say about him...
Complied by Captain Vikramjeet Singh
"A thorough soldier."
"You can't be that good."
"He was General material."
"Echo - 87 ka to ek hi tha - Puneet…."
"Sir, aap hi batao, kaya vo pagal nahin tha?"
"Sir, he was our role model; our inspiration."
"Nobody could face Major K.K. Arun. He did, and that too, in style."
"Sir, I am also from Echo squadron, or rather, Puneet Datt's squadron."
"He and I always had a clash. It was like a clash of the Titans. I salute him from deep inside my heart."
"A very nice guy. I don't know how and why I still remember him, when we all have a tendency to forget."
"As Company Sergeant Major, he was the godfather of the squadron. He shielded us from the seniors of other squadrons."
"I remember him because he showed doubts to the ACA, in NDA, in front of the whole academy and stood for what is right."
"As Company Sergeant Major, he demanded only one thing from us - to win the X-country. And, when we did that, he asked us all to relax."
"During the squadron cross – country practices, he would always come in the fourth enclosure. But, on the final day, he would finish in the second enclosure. How and from where did he get the strength to do so, we never understood."
0650 Hours, 18 September 1994 - MH NDA, Khadakwasla
by Sub Lieutenant Kartik Murthy, Indian Navy
CSM Puneet Nath Datt reports sick. On being asked his ailment by the Duty Medical Officer, Datt replies, "I do not want any category Sir, I have no problem."
"Why the hell did you report sick?" the doctor asks. Datt answers, "Sir today is the final inspection for the interior Economy Trophy. I wanted to miss drill so that I could supervise the finishing touches."
"How dare you report sick for such a reason? And you have the audacity to tell me this?" yells the DMO. Unflinchingly Datt replies, "Sir at least I told you the truth."
0819 Hours, 26 January 1998 - Rajpath, New Delhi
by Sub Lieutenant Kartik Murthy, Indian Navy
As the thin and frail woman stood facing the President of India, the noise and excitement of the Republic Day Parade faded into the background. Only the Tricolour stood out fluttering in the cold winter day. With stoic grace, she stood as the citation read out for her 24 year-old son, 2nd Lieutenant Puneet Nath Datt reverberated across the crowded Rajpath and beamed into the homes of millions of people across the nation. He was awarded the Ashoka Chakra, posthumously for the most conspicuous act of bravery, exemplary leadership and supreme sacrifice. As the President stepped forward to hand over the medal, the people watched in silence. And for one brief shining moment, the nation was one, elevated by the courage of a single man, and united in pride & grief for a young son of India who died following the Armed Forces' favourite aphorism "Death Before Dishonour".
It was indeed my proud privilege to have been very closely associated with this man, my hero. As a junior in his squadron, I always saw in him a resolute courage that stemmed out of his confidence in himself and the ideals he believed in. It was only because he had the courage to tell the DMO (Duty Medical Officer) the actual reason for reporting sick, it was only because he had the courage to run cross-country with high fever so that he wouldn't let the squadron down in its quest for a fourth consecutive glider, it was only because he had the guts to lose his band defending a junior in front of the Commandant who offered him his appointment in exchange of that junior's name, it was only because he had the moral courage to stand up for what he thought was right, that 2nd Lieutenant Puneet Nath Datt was not found wanting in physical courage, when his country asked of him the supreme sacrifice.
2nd Lt. Puneet Nath Datt [www.bharat-rakshak.com]
Saad Huzaifa
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another story of brave Indian Soldiers.
Saad Huzaifa
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another story of brave Indian Soldiers.
another story of brave Indian Soldiers.
another story of brave Indian Soldiers.
OrionHunter
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What an idiot! These are police and NOT the Indian Army! Due to your withering brain cells, you need an urgent brain re-boot.
Stop derailing this thread you troll! Your a$$ seems to burning after hearing stories of valor of the Indians.
I don't know why the mods are allowing this nonsense from this Pakistani troll? Probably even encouraging this crap. Jeeez! Had it been an Indian on a Pakistani thread such as this, he would have been banned to Timbuktu!
Stop making fools of yourselves and grow up.
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Saad Huzaifa
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Training session of brave indian soldiers
OrionHunter
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Brigadier Mohammad Usman, The ‘Lion of Naushera’
Brigadier Mohammad Usman, MVC (Posthumus)
Brigadier Mohammed Usman was the Commander of the 50 Independent Para Brigade, which was raised in 1945.
During the 1947-48 Jammu & Kashmir invasion by Pakistani-backed terrorists, the enemy's build up in the southern sector was heavy and fast. This area is such that the enemy could easily ingress more troops/raiders at will, while it was comparatively more difficult for India.
The heaviest battles took place in and around Naushera, Poonch and Rajouri. Brigadier Usman was given a difficult task of keeping the Line of Control, Akhnur-Beripattan-Jhangar-Naushera, secure. A battle-duty totally defensive in nature on a long axis like this is a nightmare for any commander. Worse, this border was open, porous and full of an extremely aggressive & cruel enemy, which consisted of a deadly combination of the regular Pakistan Army units and the raiders in civilian clothing.
Brigadier Usman, thus, was fighting against great odds. He was, however, a fighter to the core and considered every action a matter of personal honour and took every difficult task as a personal challenge. An inspiring leader and a tremendous motivator of men, he always achieved success beyond the call of duty from his troops.
The enemy was resolute on taking Naushera as vital for the defence of Mirpur, which the raiders had occupied. In this sector, which was outside the Kashmir Valley (Jhelum Valley), the enemy felt emboldened to use its regular formations the earliest, albeit not very openly. They also were determined to dominate this area because Palandari, the capital of Azad Kashmir, was located within this area.
The battles were, therefore, ferocious and the situation seesawed frequently. Brigadier Usman defended Naushera against all odds. His fiery leadership resulted in major defeat of the enemy at and around Naushera with 2000 casualties (about 1000 dead and 1000 wounded) while he suffered only 33 dead and 102 wounded. He continued ahead blazing a trail of glory. To our grave misfortune this brave and patriotic officer died by a direct hit during enemy shelling on his command post at Matlasi in Jhangar sector on 03 July 1948.
Brigadier Mohammed Usman set an example of personal courage, exceptional qualities of leadership and devotion to duty in the highest traditions of the Indian Army and was thus rightfully honoured with the Maha Vir Chakra.
Brigadier Mohammad Usman, MVC (Posthumus)
Brigadier Mohammed Usman was the Commander of the 50 Independent Para Brigade, which was raised in 1945.
During the 1947-48 Jammu & Kashmir invasion by Pakistani-backed terrorists, the enemy's build up in the southern sector was heavy and fast. This area is such that the enemy could easily ingress more troops/raiders at will, while it was comparatively more difficult for India.
The heaviest battles took place in and around Naushera, Poonch and Rajouri. Brigadier Usman was given a difficult task of keeping the Line of Control, Akhnur-Beripattan-Jhangar-Naushera, secure. A battle-duty totally defensive in nature on a long axis like this is a nightmare for any commander. Worse, this border was open, porous and full of an extremely aggressive & cruel enemy, which consisted of a deadly combination of the regular Pakistan Army units and the raiders in civilian clothing.
Brigadier Usman, thus, was fighting against great odds. He was, however, a fighter to the core and considered every action a matter of personal honour and took every difficult task as a personal challenge. An inspiring leader and a tremendous motivator of men, he always achieved success beyond the call of duty from his troops.
The enemy was resolute on taking Naushera as vital for the defence of Mirpur, which the raiders had occupied. In this sector, which was outside the Kashmir Valley (Jhelum Valley), the enemy felt emboldened to use its regular formations the earliest, albeit not very openly. They also were determined to dominate this area because Palandari, the capital of Azad Kashmir, was located within this area.
The battles were, therefore, ferocious and the situation seesawed frequently. Brigadier Usman defended Naushera against all odds. His fiery leadership resulted in major defeat of the enemy at and around Naushera with 2000 casualties (about 1000 dead and 1000 wounded) while he suffered only 33 dead and 102 wounded. He continued ahead blazing a trail of glory. To our grave misfortune this brave and patriotic officer died by a direct hit during enemy shelling on his command post at Matlasi in Jhangar sector on 03 July 1948.
Brigadier Mohammed Usman set an example of personal courage, exceptional qualities of leadership and devotion to duty in the highest traditions of the Indian Army and was thus rightfully honoured with the Maha Vir Chakra.
suresh1773
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Well Pakistanis are facing a similar situation in Balochistan right from 1947.Till now 5 wars have been fought. The number of the Army check Posts in Balochistan has doubled & so the crime,murder kidnapping of Baloch activists.
FNFAL
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Thats israeli you troll..
Let me return you the favour
Btw your soldiers bravey : This is from bangalis in 1971
And more recently in N Waziristan:
13 komaun
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Battle of rezang laJaswant Singh Rawat
Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat was an Indian soldier who won the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously at the Battle of Nuranang.
Rifleman (RFN) Jaswant Singh, number 4039009, was serving with the 4th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles. On 17 November the battalion was subjected to repeated Chinese assaults. A Chinese medium machine gun (MMG) located at a vantage point close to the A company lines was proving to be a dangerous menace. Jaswant, Lance Naik Trilok Singh Negi and RFN Gopal Singh Gusain went after the Chinese MMG and after approaching within 12 metres threw grenades at the bunker and charged it, killing a number of Chinese and capturing the MMG. Jaswant took the MMG and began crawling back towards the Indian lines but he and Trilok were fatally hit by Chinese automatic fire when nearing safety. Gopal Gusain was wounded but managed to drag the MMG into the Indian post. This turned the course of the battle and the Chinese retreated, leaving some 300 dead behind. Jaswant was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra (posthumous) and Trilok and Gopal the Vir Chakra.
A popular and widely-disseminated local story goes as follows : It was the final phase of the Sino-Indian War in November 1962. Even as his company was asked to fall back, Jaswant Singh remained at his post at an altitude of 10,000 feet and held back Chinese soldiers for three days assisted by two local Monpa girls named Sela and Nura (in some versions one or the other girl is mentioned). They set up weapons at separated spots and maintained a volume of fire that made the Chinese think they were opposed by a body of troops. Finally the Chinese captured the man who was supplying rations to Jaswant and he revealed to them that they were opposed by only one man.They attacked in force, Sela died in a grenade burst, Nura was captured and Jaswant supposedly shot himself with his last cartridge when he realized that he was about to be captured. It is alleged that the Chinese cut off Jaswant Singh's head and took it back to China. However, after the ceasefire, the Chinese commander, impressed by the soldier's bravery, returned the head along with a brass bust of Jaswant Singh. The bust, created in China to honor the brave Indian soldier, is now installed at the site of the battle.
Jaswant Singh's saga of valor and sacrifice continues to serve as an inspiration to all army personnel posted in this sector. He has become a 'Baba', a saint. At the spot where he fought,a small temple has come up with a bust of his and many of his personal effects. A marble plaque commemorates him and 161 other men of his battalion who died in the battle of Nuranang, which was awarded to Garhwal Rifles as a battle honour. This shrine known as Jaswant Garh is between Se La and Jang. Indian Army personnel passing by this route traditionally pay their respects here, irrespective of rank. Jaswant is treated as if he is alive, his boots shined and his uniform and accoutrements cared for by Army personnel posted at the shrine. He has received all his promotions in time, and has reached the rank of Honorary Captain. He is a source of inspiration to people of Uttarakhand.
Jaswant Singh Rawat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Major Shaitan Singh was an Indian soldier, who was awarded Param Vir Chakra, the highest wartime gallantry medal, posthumously, for his leadership and courage during the Sino-Indian War of 1962.
Military action
The 'C' Company of the battalion, led by Singh, held this crucial position at Rezang La, at a height of 5,000 metres (16,404 feet). The company area was defended by three platoon positions and the surrounding terrain isolated it from the rest of the battalion. The expected Chinese attack on Rezang La came on November 18 in the morning. It was the end of a very cold winter night, with light snow falling. The icy winds howling through Rezang La were biting and benumbing. More than the thin air and cold, the location of Rezang La had a more serious drawback. It was crested to Indian artillery because of an intervening feature, which meant that they had to make without the protective comfort of the big guns. In the dim light of the morning, the Chinese were seen advancing through nullahs to attack No.7 and No.8 platoon positions.
The Indian Army troops fell on their prepared positions to face the Chinese offensive. At 05:00 when the visibility improved, both platoons opened up on the advancing Chinese with rifles, light machine guns, grenades and mortars. Indian artillery could, however, not be used. The nullahs were littered with dead bodies. The survivors took position behind boulders and the dead bodies. The Chinese, though they failed the first frontal attack, were not discouraged. They subjected the Indian positions to intense artillery and mortar fire at about 05:40. Soon, about 350 Chinese troops commenced advance through the nullahs. This time, No.9 Platoon, which held fire till the enemy was within 90 metres opened up with all weapons in their possession. Within minutes, the nullahs were again full of dead bodies, mainly of the Chinese.
Unsuccessful in frontal attack, the enemy, approximately 400 strong, then attacked from the rear of the company position. They simultaneously opened intense medium machine gun fire on No.8 Platoon. This attack was contained at the barbed wire fencing of the post. The Chinese then resorted to heavy artillery and mortar shelling. An assault group of 120 Chinese also charged No.7 Platoon position from the rear. However, Indian Army 3-inch mortar killed many of them. When 20 survivors charged the post, about a dozen Kumaonis rushed out of their trenches to engage them in a hand-to-hand combat. Meanwhile, the Chinese brought up fresh reinforcements. The encirclement of No.7 Platoon was now complete. The platoon, however, fought valiantly till there was no survivor. No.8 Platoon also fought bravely to the last round.
Singh displayed exemplary leadership and courage in the battle of Rezang La. By all accounts, he led his troops most admirably. Unmindful of his personal safety he moved from one platoon post to another and encouraged his men to fight. While moving among the posts he was seriously wounded, by a sniping Chinese MMG but he continued to fight along with his men. While he was being evacuated by two of his comrades, the Chinese brought heavy machine gun fire on them. Singh sensed danger to their lives and ordered them to leave him. They placed him behind a boulder on the slopes of a hill, where he died, still griping his weapon.
The Chinese announced a unilateral ceasefire on November 21, 1962.
In this action, 109 Kumaonis out of a total of 123 were killed. Of the 14 survivors, 9 were severely injured. The Chinese suffered more than a thousand casualties.[2][citation needed] After the war was over, the body of Singh was found at the same place, dead from the bullet wound and the freezing cold. It was flown to Jodhpur and cremated with full military honours. Singh was awarded Param Vir Chakra, the highest wartime gallantry medal, posthumously, for his leadership and devotion to duty.
Citation
The citation for the Param Vir Chakra awarded to him reads:
Major Shaitan Singh was commanding a company of an infantry battalion deployed at Rezang La in the Chushul sector at a height of about 17,000 feet. The locality was isolated from the main defended sector and consisted of five platoon-defended position. On 18 November 1962, the Chinese forces subjected the company position to heavy artillery, mortar and small arms fire and attacked it in overwhelming strength in several successive waves. Against heavy odds, our troops beat back successive waves of enemy attack. During the action, Major Shaitan Singh dominated the scene of operations and moved at great personal risk from one platoon post to another, sustaining the morale of his hard-pressed platoon posts. While doing so he was seriously wounded but continued to encourage and lead his men who, following his brave example, fought gallantly and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. For every man lost to us, the enemy lost four or five. When Major Shaitan Singh fell disabled by wounds in his arms and abdomen, his men tried to evacuate him but they came under heavy machine-gun fire. Major Shaitan Singh then ordered his men to leave him to his fate in order to save their lives.
Major Shaitan Singh’s supreme courage, leadership and exemplary devotion to duty inspired his company to fight almost to the last man.
Shaitan Singh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Rezang La battle
On October 20, 1962, the Chinese launched a full-scale attack on the 7 Infantry Brigade, stretched as it was along the Namka Chu river in the Kaming division of North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), later renamed Arunachal Pradesh, and made rapid progress. However, in the Ladakh sector, nothing much happened during the next few weeks except that some of the forward Indian posts were driven back, though there were unmistakable signs of a build-up of forces.
114 Infantry Brigade had been assigned the task to defend the gateway to the Indus Valley at Chushul. The brigade had occupied defences on the heights dominating the Chushul plain and its airfield. It is a vast area and consequently the defences were widely separated with the companies occupying isolated positions, resulting in the break-up of the only artillery battery into troop deployment. One of the forward and important features called Rezang La was occupied by a company of 13 Kumaon, commanded by Maj Shaitan Singh.
He was a sombre, God-fearing, serious-minded officer. He took keen interest in the training and welfare of his men. He came from a military family, with his father having risen to the rank of a Colonel in the army.
Consequently, by training and tradition, he was imbued with a high sense of duty and responsibility and his character moulded to measure up to the trials and tribulations that lay ahead.
Rezang La is a rocky area in the desolate, barren and cold desert of Ladakh and an important post for the attacker to take before making any move towards the plains of Chushul. Its height is over 17,000 feet and dominates the surrounding area, thus making it a vital feature for the defender to hold.
Eventually, there was no better man to defend this outpost than Major Shaitan Singh. Both his commanding officer and the brigade commander (also from the Kumaon Regiment) knew that the enemy will require some considerable effort to dislodge him from Rezang La.
Finally on the night of December 18, 1962, the Chinese made their move around mid-night. The attack opened with a heavy barrage of artillery and mortar fire supported by medium machine guns. Shaitan Singh’s men were ill-clad for the freezing winter of Ladakh, their weapons were outdated and ammunition limited with no artillery support worth the name.
Frozen earth made digging very difficult and the defender had based his defences mostly on Sangars. Notwithstanding all that, these gallant men of Kumoan hills met the overwhelming enemy onslaught head-on.
Shaitan Singh must have been the most inspiring figure in that unequal fight; for his men fought to the last while he himself kept moving to wherever the situation was found getting out of control.
Shaitan Singh was seriously wounded in the legs and stomach, yet he declined to be evacuated by his men and decided to fight to the finish. All this time, the battle raged with unabated fury. Some of the section posts changed hands many times. With the ammunition exhausted the fighting took its most primitive and brutal form, that is hand-to-hand fighting with the Kumaonis refusing to yield ground.
Before dawn could break on the Ladakh hills, silence descended at Rezang La. The last of the men of that gallant company had fallen at their post. When all had been lost, three badly wounded men who had survived the fighting decided to evacuate Shaitan Singh, who by now was totally incapacitated. They carried him some distance, but the task was too much for the already weakened men.
Realising their state and the problem they were having in evacuating him, Shaitan Singh ordered his men to leave him to his fate and find their way to the battalion headquarters. Reclining against the rock, Shaitan Singh must have slowly bled and frozen to death, and that is the position in which they found him next summer.
Out of this gallant company of nearly 120 men, only these three seriously wounded soldiers came back to give the details of this heroic battle.
The Chinese had suffered heavy casualties and the momentum of their offensive in the Ladakh sector had been effectively checked by these handful of Kumaonis under that gallant company commander. Thereafter, the Chinese made no serious effort to push their drive towards the Chushul plain.
While military observers were stunned at the collective bravery of these men and that of Shaitan Singh, Joe Das, an authority on military history, drew a parallel between the battle of Rezang La and the battle of Thermopyalae.
Next summer, when Rezang La was revisited, Major Shaitan Singh’s body was found where the three men said they had left him. At Rezang La, the spread of dead bodies of the Kumaonis, with some still clutching their weapons and from the type and extent of their wounds one could picture the desperate nature of the struggle and the bravery of the men of 13 Kumaon.
Major Shaitan Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra (posthumous) for his valour.
Indian Heroes - True Stories of Valour
Those 117 martyred soldiers were yadav(ahir) not Kumaunis though they belonged to kumaun regiment.
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