Duty over Death- Sentinels of Northeast
Where there is war,
there is legend; where there are misty mountains, there is romance. - Unknown
Love and
romance are inseparable fragments of human existence. For soldiers, romance may
have a strange partner – his duty! Doing one’s duty diligently is a simple way
of keeping the pledge that all soldiers take while passing out after completion
of their respective pre-induction training programmes. A soldier also enjoys
the privilege of running more than one romantic associations at any given point
of time and that too officially! Love for the country is a common thread and
yet as the life moves on, we do fall in love with our life-partners (whether
prior to or after marriage – timing being irrelevant). So, when White Lion’s “Till Death Do Us Part” became a hit,
most of us did tend to agree with the thought process that had been embodied in
the song. Death, despite all our love for anyone, be it a person or a country,
is a sure shot signal for each one of us to move on. The promises made during
our worldly lives, therefore, have warranties only till we continue to live in
our human forms. No one has really seen the after-life and so it is generally
considered to be fair and logical if you give a commitment that would stand
till your final day. Souls, we believe, are free from worldly fetters.
Some souls, however, exhibit somewhat dissimilar behaviours and their stories actually defy the reasoning that stands shared in the previous
paragraph. Such spirits also put a question mark on White Lion’s thought
process. Such tales are, however, rare and even though they haughtily defy
scientific logic and rationalistic thinking, they cannot be ignored. They are
too glaring and so very vivid! And among the people who have faith in such
sagas, such legends stand tall. Whether you are an atheist or a rationalist,
you cannot deny their existence nor can you exactly explain the phenomenon
through any of the established scientific laws and theories. Many such events
stand recorded the world over as ghost appearances, apparitions and ghouls. As
it happens, such events have no specific arena and have been known to happen
among diverse communities and that too cutting across societal, communal,
geographical, racial and religious convictions.
In case of
soldiers, battlefield heroics and bravery in the face of adversities are the
reasons enough to exalt the personnel involved in such acts to a pedestal above
the rest within the fraternity. A similar phenomenon can be seen in respect of
our freedom fighters as also the characters in our mythology. However, the
difference lies in the fact that as the time passes, tales associated with our
day-to-day lives and belief (read visibility) become sagas but those who do not
enjoy such a visibility or connection, tend to be forgotten despite all their
valour and heroics. People and nations, as the history proves, remember their
armies only during crisis and that is the reason that once the initial euphoria
blows over, people tend to forget such tales of ultimate sacrifice and
selflessness. However unfair and unfortunate it may appear, the fact remains
that this is simply one of the realities of human existence.
Now, all
this is what is ‘usually’ seen and believed. But there are certain deviations
from such medians and such divergences actually challenge the set norms. So few
‘souls’, having departed, continue to stay on and some heroes simply refuse to
be forgotten. This ‘refusing to be
forgotten’, however, is a harsh observation. As is experienced in such
cases, beyond such a selfish motive, they do so to keep their tête-à-tête with
their duty. Some of the starkest
examples of the above phenomenon can be witnessed in the North-eastern part of
our country. While serving in some of the toughest terrain and battlefield
scenarios and having ‘departed’, some souls did decide to stay on so as to
remain on duty by holding the forts for the eons to come.
In this chapter, we
would visit some of such niches where unusual happenings continue to inspire
soldiers. We would also see how
soldierly faith gets inspired by tales of courage and sacrifice even though
there may be nothing apparently unusual happening at such sites as of today.
Holding the Fort – Jaswant Garh
A scenic
place, some 10,000ft above sea level in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, holds
the distinction of being witness to a tale of extra-ordinary valour during
Indo-China war or 1962. It lies on the road that connects Tawang with rest of
the country. As we descend from Se La (La meaning a mountain pass; Se La
happens to be the highest motorable pass in Arunachal Pradesh) towards Tawang,
we come across a beautiful spot that possesses the look and feel of a military casern.
A road sign tells you few things, ie you have reached the site of Nuranang
Battle of 1962; that you are at Jaswant Garh and that you are welcome to take a
break with a view to relive the aura and pay the homage….. how could anyone
just zip past such a location! Local drivers and soldiers, in any case, do not
give this place a miss unless there are really sound reasons to do the ‘unthinkable’.
In fact, no one does that; especially no
soldier ever does that. Soldiers, irrespective of their ranks and seniorities,
actually halt here to pay homage as also to imbibe the aura that the place
offers, thereby, getting reassured and rejuvenated in the process. Even locals
follow a similar pattern. For tourists and travellers, it is a ‘must see’ point.
The memorial complex bears testimony to the raw
courage and bravery of soldiers of an infantry battalion of GARHWAL RIFLES - a total of three officers, four JCOs, 148
other ranks and seven non-combatants had laid down their lives in the battle -
during Indo-China war of 1962. The
memorial, however, has
specifically been named after a soldier, Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat who,
because of his supreme act of courage and bravado on 17 November 1962, was
awarded the second highest gallantry award of the nation, Maha Veer Chakra,
posthumously. Posthumously- because his body had been found; he, however,
continues to live even today. For the troops manning the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in that sector,
he is a guardian angel who has taken upon himself the task of protecting the
frontiers. Legend, folktale and belief are so strong among the soldiers that
the deceased soldier has been accorded the status of Baba or saint. The eye-catching white shrine-like Jaswant Garh
memorial houses a draped metallic bust of Jaswant Singh and his worldly possessions that are kept in
a small room with a narrow, neatly made bed.
A fresh towel, an HMT watch on a side table, a cheap plastic framed
mirror, a pair of shoes and an old woollen cap riddled with bullet holes - all
that he left behind, is right there. He is treated as alive; his bed is made
every night and his boots shined by soldiers deployed at the shrine. A clay
lamp burns round the clock. The story goes that convoys in blizzards have seen
Jaswant directing the vehicles through the treacherous bends. Eight
promotions have come to him after death and Jaswant is now a Captain. The
soldiers stationed there get him the first thali (plate) of steaming hot
food from the langar (cook house) before opening the dining area to
themselves. There is a temple of Sri Badri
Vishaal (Guardian deity of troops from Garhwal) and a Chinese graveyard where a
board reads, “They also died for their
country”. Not many places on this earth can actually equal such a combo of
bravery, faith and soldierly values.
In very gross terms, there have been many such
incidents during 1962 war but no other soldier, whether alive or dead, despite
varying degrees of recorded bravery and awards, enjoys such a stature. Yes, it
is a fact that the battalion had successfully beaten back five attacks by
Chinese army and was awarded the battle honour for the battle at that very
site. But that, by itself, does not appear to be the only cause. Let us scratch
the surface a bit and try and find out as to what could be the possible reason
for such a reverence and for such a status. There are many versions that are
part of the folklore and the legend of Baba.
Aim of this work, however, is not to justify or criticise any of the existing
stories; doing that would simply be both irrelevant and unnecessary.
As per the
plaque (and, thus, the very first as also the official version), the battalion
had been tasked to dig in…… and the story goes like this…….
(Writing on the plaque (quoted with
abbreviations duly expanded),
“1. Following the
withdrawal of Indian troops from Tawang, 4 GARHWAL RIFLES was ordered to deploy
in this area to facilitate preparation of our main defences in Se La. The
battalion was disposed with its ‘A’ Company in this location, ‘D’ Company to
its right across the road, ‘B’ company to its East and Battalion HQ with ‘C’
Company in the area of Bridge III, about 1500 metres to the East from here.
2. A Chinese attempt to
infiltrate into the defences in the guise of local Monpas was thwarted by an
alert JCO of this company at about 5 AM on 17 November (1962). The enemy
simultaneously attacked this company from its left and front in three waves.
This was effectively beaten back and the enemy withdrew.
3. This was followed by
two more attacks supported by artillery, mortars and MMGs (Medium Machine Guns)
at 7.45 AM and 9.10 AM
respectively. Our troops held their ground and these attacks too met
with the same fate.
4. The Chinese, who were
better equipped and had not suffered reverses so far, were more determined when
they launched their fourth attack. They moved up an MMG about 40 metres close
to the left platoon of this company and brought down very heavy volume of fire
on our positions, (thus), preventing our LMGs (Light Machine Guns) from
engaging them.
5. LNk (Lance Naik) Trilok
Singh, Rfn (Rifleman) Jaswant Singh and Rfn Gopal Singh volunteered to silence
the menacing MMG by physically neutralising it. Jaswant and Gopal, armed only
with hand grenades, in total disregard for their personal safety, crawled under
heavy enemy fire to close in with the MMG. Trilok provided covering fire with
his Sten Gun. From about 15 metres, they hurled hand grenades to silence the
MMG and then physically assaulted the position to find two Chinese killed and a
third wounded but still holding on to the weapon. Jaswant, using both his
hands, snatched the MMG and crawled back. Just as he was about to reach his
trench, he was hit by a fatal bullet on his head. Trilok, in the meantime, was
spotted by the Chinese and killed by a long burst from an automatic weapon.
Gopal, badly wounded, managed to drag the captured MMG back to his trench.
6. This entire action took
only 15 minutes. But the courage of these men changed the course of the battle.
Our weapons came alive once again and conclusively beat back the fourth Chinese
attack by 11.40 AM.
7. For this most
outstanding act of gallantry, these three brave men were later honoured by the
following awards:-
(a) Rfn
Jaswant Singh Rawat – Mahavir Chakra (Posthumous).
(b) LNk Trilok Singh Negi – Vir Chakra
(Posthumus).
(c) Rfn Gopal Singh Gusain – Vir Chakra.
8. The fifth Chinese attack which came at
2.45PM, too was effectively beaten back and the enemy withdrew, leaving about
300 dead and wounded in area in front of you, the heaviest suffered by them in the war. The
losses of 4 GARHWAL RIFLES were two
killed and eight wounded.
9. The myth of the
invincible Chinese had been exploded.
10. For the most conspicuous
and brave action, 4 GARHWAL RIFLES was bestowed with the Battle Honour
“NURANANG”- the only battle honour awarded to any unit in the Sino-India war of
1962*.
11. This monument is in the
memory of these and other hundreds of our brave men who laid down their lives
in this sector during the 1962 War. (Unquote)
With the
official version, as above, there is hardly any room for any other version or
description. The time, however, is a powerful entity and as it passes, it
allows many new theories and versions to germinate as far as history is concerned.
With many years separating us from that fateful day in November 1962 and with
local folklore being weaved around the incident, it is but natural to have more
than one account of that action. Nobody, however, doubts or challenges the
official version and yet many stories inhabit that part of the country. With
troops moving in and out of the sector on relief, such stories have become more
of a public belief throughout the geographical dimensions of the nation. A
point to note here is that versions and folklores have basically lived so
long and continue to do so because of the events that have been
happening or have been believed to be happening since that battle way back in
1962. How and what – we shall examine now. To start with, let us have a look at
some of such stories.
The
second version is probably the most believed version by the soldiers and locals
alike. But before we see that, here is a glimpse of things as they are supposed
to be happening in and around the shrine so many decades since the events of
past century. As per the local belief, each morning, Baba’s bed is found crumpled and his freshly ironed clothes are
found lying crushed on the floor. Locals and soldiers are confident that he is
there all the time although no one can see him. In fact, one soldier does the
duties of his buddy. Buddy is the one who shines his shoes, irons his uniform,
readies his bed and cooks his meals on daily basis. Of course, such buddies are
appointed on rotation. Soldiers believe that Baba is immortal and continues to protect and bless them in that
deceitful mountain terrain. According to locals as well as soldiers posted near
Jaswant Garh, Baba’s spirit roams the
area.
The
background for such a belief (and it happens to be the version number 2) is the
legend that during the concluding phase of the war, as the Chinese, having
taken Tawang, moved towards Se La, Rfn Jaswant’s company, that had been holding
Nuranang, was asked to fall back after
troops had beaten back initial assaults. While the company began to withdraw
tactically, Jaswant Singh had volunteered to hold his post so as to cover the
move. It is believed that he, all by himself, single-handedly held back Chinese
troops for 72 Hours. He had been assisted in the endeavour by two local Monpa
girls named Se La and Nura. Between three of them, they had set up weapons at
different spots so as to sustain such a volume of fire that Chinese had been
made to think as if they were being opposed by a sizeable body of troops.
Finally, an assault from the rear, after the Chinese had discovered the truth, had
proved too much for the lone soldier and two of his helpers. Chinese came in
strength and in the ensuing fight, Sela was the first one to perish in a
grenade burst. Nura was believed to be taken alive and Jaswant supposedly had
shot himself with the last bullet in his .303 rifle, just before he could be
captured. It is alleged that the Chinese cut off Jaswant Singh's head and took
it back to China. Indian Army, finding the soldier missing, had actually initiated
an inquiry to establish the fact. However, Jaswant had then appeared in the
dreams of the officer deputed to conduct the enquiry and had guided him
to contact his Chinese counterparts to ascertain the facts. Since then, he has
been ‘around’!
Obviously,
there are many loopholes in this version. Leaving behind a lone soldier when a
subunit is extricating itself, is a big question mark. There have been
instances where either a buddy pair or even a single soldier has covered the
tactical movement of a small detachment (or even a section; section is
typically 10 soldiers even though it may not be in a full strength more often
than not) or a section of soldiers may have covered the move of a body of
soldiers as big as a platoon (typically
30 odd; may be as low as 22 to 25) or a company in exceptional cases. No
doubts, there may be occasions when circumstances may force otherwise,
commanders tend to follow certain basic ground rules even when forced to extricate
– associated glamour with such versions notwithstanding, Also, appearance of
two local girls and then their ability to fight against a well-trained army,
even though not absolutely impossible, does throw up some genuine questions. And
then there is no official version about throat being cut and the events
thereafter.
As mentioned
in the quote at the beginning of this chapter, war, legends, misty mountains
and romance have a definite connect. So, the third version connects Jaswant
with either of the two sisters, Sela and Nura, or both through innocent
romance. As per this version, as the Chinese advanced, the soldier was assisted
by two girls who kept on feeding filled magazines to him as he fired from a
manual .303 rifle. Having thwarted five attacks and having killed 56 Chinese
soldiers, the end came when Chinese realised the fact that he had been fighting
alone and had been holding them for past 72 hours. A surprise attack was
launched from the rear and all three were captured alive. Chinese tortured them
and killed them one by one, presumably by hanging them by telephone wires. His
head was then severed by the Chinese. Even though this version does address
some of the issues as thrown up by the version number 2, the authenticity part
of it actually takes a back seat when it comes to issues beyond usual,
A lesser
circulated, but again believed to be true by many, the fourth version speaks of
the brave rifleman being actually a part of a team that had been sent to
conduct a raid on advancing Chinese. The raid had gone off well and team had
been able to capture one Chinese soldier without losing the surprise. However,
on their way back, the surprise had been lost and the Chinese prisoner had got
shot in the firing. In the fire fight that had ensued with pursuing Chinese
soldiers, Jaswant had volunteered to cover the withdrawal of his comrades
across a log bridge, bravely laying down his life in the process. Two local
girls find mention even in this version. They were believed to have joined him
while he was holding the enemy all by himself. This version is a further
refinement of other two unofficial versions; authenticity, however, remains
debatable if not doubtful.
Whatever may
be the actual version, the fact remains there had been an unparalleled act of gallantry
and sacrifice under some of the toughest circumstances that had been prevailing
at that point of time. An equally important fact is that the martyr continues
to inspire and is believed to protect his brethren in uniform. And then there
is a psychological support system that has been weaved around the legend. In
the shrine, one can see numerous letters that talk about family problems,
unemployment, failed crops, land disputes, poverty, lost promotions, life
threatening illnesses. The list of sadness is endless. A young boy is desperate
for job, a soldier’s wife is childless, a farmer has lost his only son. There
are invitations to weddings and namkaran or naming ceremonies, prayers, wishes and
pleas for help. Mail has been coming to Jaswant Garh for years. It comes from
people seeking inspiration to live, strangely enough, from a dead man.
Readers may
find loopholes of different kinds in all these versions. The official version
has the authenticity while other versions hint at the possible reasons behind
such a preeminent status of the Baba.
But when it comes to faith, too much of analysis may actually serve no purpose.
Even explanations do not matter; faith just happens! But what certainly is central
is the fact that Jaswant Garh is a source of inspiration for troops as well as
locals who inhabit the tough terrain in that sector. Locals are of a firm
belief that no Chinese attack will be able to succeed in future because of Baba’s intervention. They cannot imagine
a situation wherein their guardian would abandon them in the face of enemy. And
the faith lives on!
(Author’s Notes:
1. Such is the reverence, belief and sense
of belonging that a small detachment of soldiers remains deployed at Jaswant Garh to look after
Baba’s
daily chores and errands. It is simply a way of
making sure that own buddies are not left alone whether in or out of a battle!
2. * Another battalion to receive a battle honour (as well
as the theatre honour) during 1962 War was a KUMAON Battalion that re-wrote
history on the icy heights in Ladakh; at Rezang La to be precise. More about
that would follow later in this book.
3. Some of the inputs cited from a blog written by an Army wife; full
account at http://www.rachnabisht.com/3/post/2012/05/dead-man-talking.html)
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