4 Sikh fought till the end in Battle of Walong

Lt Gen Raj Sujlana (retd)
Ex-Commandant, IMA

THE major flashpoints of the Indo-China war of 1962 were Rezang La, Chip Chap River, Thag La and Walong. 4 Sikh (with battalions of Kumaon, Gurkhas and Dogra Regiments) had the honour to prove their gallantry at Walong, on the heights straddling the Lohit river.

On September 26, the advance elements of 4 Sikh were flown out to Walong to reconnoitre the allotted defensive area ahead at heights from 5,000 to 8,000 ft, as the existing defences needed tremendous effort to make them defence worthy. Further ahead, 6 Kumaon occupied screen positions along the McMahon Line.

September 27 onwards, companies of 4 Sikh started landing at Walong; the concentration took a long time due to the limited carrying capacity of otter aircraft. Moving up defence stores, ammunition, cooked food and water involved a six-hour uphill strenuous climb. Defences had to be prepared, all was time-consuming and taxing as no porters or ponies were available. Through the war, the status remained — troops to labour, troops to battle!

4 Sikh occupied the defences only by October 23; they were split by the Lohit river in two parts — Bravo Company under Major Harbans Singh and Alpha Company under Major Samvatsar occupied the West Ridge and East Ridge, respectively. By then, on October 20/21, the Chinese had attacked the forward positions of 6 Kumaon. On October 24 morning, the enemy attacked ‘Ladders’ held by a platoon, the extreme right position of 4 Sikh on the West Ridge. The enemy was allowed to close up and then suddenly heavy fire, including from a unit of 3-inch mortar and one medium machine gun, was opened on them. The Chinese were beaten back; they left behind around 200 dead. To retrieve their dead, the Chinese set the grass on fire. It spread rapidly over the entire Ridge and soon a revolting stench of burnt bodies filled the atmosphere. The troops now had an additional responsibility, firefighting, especially to save their ammunition. In the midst of all this, Lance Naik Gurdial Singh suddenly charged into the enemy and brought back two Chinese rifles. One each is displayed in the 4 Sikh and the Sikh Regimental Centre Museum.

On the night of October 25, the Chinese came again. Sepoy Kewal Singh, with just 18 months of service, was in his gallantry elements; he rushed forward, firing and bayonetting the enemy and took down at least eight of them. He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. Numerous individual acts of bravery contributed to collective resilience; the enemy was forestalled.

The enemy failed to capture this area through which an important track passed. Wireless intercepts called these positions impregnable and also ‘Tiger Mouth’ as reported by repatriated prisoners. To keep the enemy under observation and meet emergent situations, aggressive patrolling led to many casualties. Besides, the troops had to be moved around to position them further westwards to positions called Patrol Base and Maha Plateau. The enemy now shifted their attention to the flanks, this was soon confirmed by Delta Company under Lt Yog Raj ‘Joe’ Palta, who was on the East Ridge at High Plateau. He reported a large build-up of Chinese troops backed with mule columns.

On November 15, after intense shelling in the day, waves of the enemy struck Bravo Company at Maha Plateau from the West. Simultaneously, they infiltrated through the gaps (troops were inadequate to cover the large spread) to cut off the defences. A decisive battle followed till November 16. Meanwhile, on the East Ridge, at 11.30 pm, the enemy attacked the High Plateau. Young Joe Palta took them on, constantly boosting his men; they beat back two attacks in about four hours. The third assault came at 4.45 am. Our dead had piled up and reinforcements were not available. Joe Palta was also among the fallen; his last words were, “Dushman nu kachha kha jao, pichha na chhado (Eat the enemy raw, don’t leave them).” His leadership and tenacity were of the highest order; he was awarded the Vir Chakra. The survivors led by Lt Bhandari, artillery observation officer, lived to recount the gallantry of Joe Palta and his men.

To hold Maha Plateau was critical, so Alpha Company was pulled back from the Patrol Base to the plateau. The enemy opened fired from heavy weapons to destroy the bunkers, before attacking from all directions. Major Samvatsar was seriously wounded. Many JCO platoon commanders were among the killed and wounded. Gradually, the position became untenable. To avoid a rout, an organised pullback took place.

An outstanding act was that of three young soldiers — Tehal, Mewa and Santokh — who volunteered to cover the withdrawal. They performed most creditably, as after the war their bodies were found riddled with bullets; hands and legs tied with wire and turbans. Later, a rescue party under Captain IJ Kumar tried to retrieve Major Samvatsar, but the Major was further wounded and he succumbed to his injuries; Capt Kumar was taken prisoner. The situation turned critical in all spheres. Survivors, mostly wounded, without food kept joining the unit; the last was Lance Naik Gurdip Singh, who reported after 37 days! Such was the spirit generated that as the combatants battled, Havildar Kirpa Ram, equipment and boot repairer, encouraged the unit non-combatants to accept the challenge to move the ammunition forward.

Undeterred by the consequences, he led these men repeatedly; Kirpa Ram finally passed away. His is possibly a singular example of a tradesman who went well beyond his duty, displayed courage and loyalty of the highest order; it was duly recognised by the Vir Chakra.

The Battle of Walong lasted 25 days; 85 lay dead — in the true spirit of Saragarhi — in their trenches and 97 were wounded. Lt Gen Harbaksh Singh, who visited the battleground later, wrote, “It has come to light now that the dead of 4 Sikh at Walong were lying in their bunkers where they fought till the last in keeping with the highest traditions of the Sikh regiment.”

On October 8, 1963, Kewal Singh’s gallantry, true to the words of Guru Gobind Singh, “And when the last moment of my life should come, May I die fighting in the thick of battle”, was recognised; his proud widow, with a year-old baby in her lap, received the Maha Vir Chakra from the President. 

#China #guru gobind singh #Saragarhi #Sikhs