An unexpected Eid call

Maj Gen JS Kataria (Retd)

I was sipping my morning coffee, when the buzz of my phone drew my attention. It was an unknown number. I frowned, again some tele-caller. Murmuring, I picked up the phone. The caller responded, ‘Jai Hind, saheb, Chandi Khan, Malangam, Bandipore, se bol raha hoon. Eid Mubarak! Allah aap ko salamat rakhe!’ My mind raced back to 1995, when I was commanding an infantry battalion in the Valley and was tasked to clean up Malangam village, infested with terrorists.

Ensconced in the foothills, from where the mountains rose sharply to heights beyond 9,000 ft, the village was inhabited by the Gujjars, a nomadic tribe involved in the rearing of cattle. During the summer months, they moved into their ‘bahaks’ (thatched huts), located in the upper reaches of the mountains, and returned before the onset of snow. The menfolk from the village were recruited as guides by various terrorist groups. The village bore testimony to many violent clashes between the Army and the terrorists. The task was challenging.

We had struck the village and the terrorist hideouts in the hills, in complete secrecy. Some were neutralised and others ran helter-skelter. Simultaneously, a post was established at a vantage point dominating the village. I declared myself a Gujjar, as ‘Kataria’ is a sub-caste among the Gujjars. A message was sent that those who surrender to their Gujjar saheb would come to no harm. Relentless pressure was maintained. The tactics bore fruit, and soon a group of 11 terrorists — led by Chandi Khan — reported for surrender. As they were treated well, within a month, we had 61 surrenders. This was the beginning of my relationship with Chandi Khan, the others, and with the village at large.

The ensuing conversation with Chandi Khan brought alive the conversion of the village pebble track into a fair-weather motorable road, laying of the first water pipeline, opening of a school and the sight of a car driven into the village by one of the surrendered terrorists. The women would come out on these occasions in their colourful regalia, stone jewellery and hair braided with multi-colour threads. They were no less than Bollywood beauties! The villagers hosted a feast in our honour, when we were ordered to move out into another area. It was an emotional moment for all.

It was music to my ears to learn that the village now boasts of a road, water supply, electricity and two functional schools. Many young men from the village were serving in the defence and paramilitary forces. My heart skipped a beat when I learnt that many of those whom I had known had moved beyond this world. Chandi Khan invited me to visit Malangam and see the change with my own eyes. Overwhelmed with emotions, I said, Inshallah!