Lalit Shastri
As always, just saw a video of Priyanka Vadra being interviewed by Rajdeep Sardesai where in the Vadra lady was seen parroting about the sacrifices made by her grand mother and father for the nation. This so-called sacrifices of her family for the cause of India have been a regular parroting punchline for the Congress party over the last few decades.
Talking about the sacrifices, one is at once reminded of the supreme sacrifice of five brave officers and 19 Jawans of 5th battalion of the Assam Regiment in the 1971 Battle of Chhamb. Just to quote an excerpt from the forthcoming book, Fury of Hell-Battle of Chhamb 1971 fought by 5th Battalion the Assam Regiment in Chhamb Sector in J&K authored by the 1971 war veteran Col MK Gahatraj:
“Maj JBS Maken was martyred in action on 5 Dec 1971 at D Coy, in Ghogi area while fighting a close combat with the attacking Pakistani Army. Capt Giri Raj Singh & Capt DS Jamwal sacrificed their life in action on 4 Dec 1971 at Burejal Post in a close combat with the Pakistani army attacking the post. Capt Kalyan Singh Rathod died in action on 6 Dec 1971 in a close combat with attacking Pakistani Army, fighting alone and covering the withdrawal of his troops. 2/Lieut Oliver Wilson was marryred in action during a counter attack operations by his company (He was so young and new that he had not even received his first salary), Maj Ashok Suri died in action on 5 Dec 1971 by enemy ground attack sabre jet near Munawar Tawi Bridge while leading an ammunition convoy to the embattled battalion fighting the Pakistani attackers. 19 jawans were killed between 3 Dec and 6 Dec 1971 in action in an intense fury of the battle defending the motherland against the attacking Pakistani Forces. In the same battle two young officers, 2/Lieut MK Gahatraj (the author of Fury of Hell-Battle of Chhamb 1971) and 2/Lieut YB Thapa were seriously injured along with 48 Jawans while 28 Jawans, mostly in their early 20s were taken as prisoners of war”.
Such loss of lives has been suffered by the entire defence forces in 1948 Indo-Pak War, 1962 Chinese aggression, 1965 Indo-Pak war, 1971 Indo-Pak War, 1967 Indo-China clash in Sikkim, 1988 Sri Lanka War, 1999 Kargil Operations, bloody clash with the Chinese on the Line of Actual Control in Galwan in 2020, and the numerous lives lost during the anti-insurgency operations in J&K and the North East which is an ongoing process at the cost of precious lives of young men and women of the armed forces, para military forces and police forces. These men fought for the country with all the blood, sweat and every ounce of strength till the last moment while many of them willingly sacrificed themselves to save the country and their brothers and sisters in arms.
Just for a second try to take your thoughts to the home of such officers and soldiers killed in action while defending Bharat Mata’s sacred soil and try to fathom the incurable grief for life with added emptiness in their homes for all time to come.
Now, think and tell us dear Gandhi-Vadra-Congress families how is the loss of lives of officers and soldiers in brutal wars and insurgency, comparable to the demise of your grand-mother, Indira Gandhi and your father Rajiv Gandhi who were killed, sadly, by the ghosts of the monsters they themselves created.
When the Sonia Gandhi family and it’s followers roll out their heart, I strongly feel it’s also my turn to set the record straight and call the bluff. There is no reason why I should hold my thoughts about Rajiv Gandhi. It was Rajiv Gandhi who sent the IPKF to Sri Lanka and it resulted in the death of 1200 Indian soldiers in an unwanted war that was not ours. How can one forget the Sikh massacre, following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984. That’s when Rajiv Gandhi, who got catapulted as PM demonstrated how insensitive he was towards the Sikhs by stating “When a big tree falls, the earth shakes”, on the en-mass slaughter of Sikhs in Delhi. In mid-1988, the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) had launched a separatist insurgency for independence of Kashmir during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure as PM and this has created the situation for ethnic cleansing of the Kashmir valley on radical religious grounds that culminated with the slaughter, rape and exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Kashmir in January 1990 onwards. In 1985, drawing attention to the menace of corruption and lack of accountability in terms of those holding public offices, Rajiv Gandhi had said that of every rupee spent by the government, only 15 paise reached the intended beneficiary. His message, awareness and concern about the malaise notwithstanding, the travesty is that even after winning a 2/3 majority riding on the crest of a sympathy wave created by Indira Gandhi’s assassination, Rajiv lost power before the full term and was defeated in the election that followed due to the Bofor scandal. The Bofors scandal relates to illegal kickbacks paid in a big Bofors deal for the sale of field howitzer guns between the Swedish arms manufacturer Bofors and India when Rajiv Gandhi was PM. While Rajiv Gandhi paid with his life in the hands of LTTE cadres of Sri Lanka in revenge of the unnecessary war he had waged against the Tamils in Sri Lanka, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by the followers of Bhindrawala, after the attack on Golden Temple. The world should know that Bhindrawala was turned into a hydra-headed monster to take Congress politics to macabre levels by Sanjay Gandhi patronised by none other than Indira Gandhi herself. The death and gore suffered by the Hindus of Punjab during the Bhindrawala days should not be a forgotten chapter.
So, the big question is, how is the loss of lives of 5 officers and 19 Jawans in the Battle of Chhamb 1971 and the loss of lives of millions of officers and Jawans fighting for Bharat mata comparable to the killings of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi at the hands of assassins created by themselves?
Excerpts from the book: Fury of Hell-Battle of Chhamb 1971 by Col MK Gahatraj ( the first part of this book will be launched soon)
5th Battalion the Assam Regiment was part of 191 Infantry Brigade ex 10 Infantry Division. In view of the fast-deteriorating situation between India and Pakistan, on the night of Oct 12/13-1971, the battalion was ordered to occupy the main defences in Barsala area, as part of the Brigade defended Chhamb Sector. The task given to 5 Assam was three-fold, encompassing the defence of general area Barsala, deploying three platoon Screens and a Section strength Protective Patrol and providing Covering Troops for the Sector of one Rifle Company plus. Arrayed on the opposite was elements of the Pakistani 26 Infantry Division consisting of 26 Cav, 19 Baluch (Recce & Support), 17FF, 14 Punjab, 6 POK Battalion. The war erupted with startling suddenness at 2030 hours on 3/4 December 1971, when Pakistani troops, supported by armour, attacked in strength, preceded by intense shelling on 5 Assam positions. Attack after attack of the enemy was repulsed inflicting heavy casualties on them. It was the resolute leadership and the dauntless courage of officers and men of the battalion which stemmed the tide of the enemy onslaught and prevented 5 Assam positions from being run over completely. It was only after 3 days from night December3/4, 1971 that the overwhelmingly numerically superior Pakistani Armour and Infantry Forces could establish a shaky foothold in the Battalion defended area. 5 Assam was ordered to withdraw and reorganise at Lam by 0200 hours on 7 December 1971. The Battalion lost 5 Officers and 19 Other Ranks in this heroic Battle. The Battalion, in recognition of this act of valour, is awarded the Battle Honour Chhamb-71.
The Book is Dedicated to
Lt Col Amrik Singh Malhi, the Commanding Officer who led from the front
and
The Indomitable Rhino Warriors of 5th Battalion the Assam Regiment who fought the enemy with all the blood, sweat and every ounce of strength and, above all, with their heart and soul, in the most inhospitable and trying conditions, forced to fight a hard defensive battle from the temporary positions with dummy mine fields, without obstacles and overhead protections, while most importantly, switching over from a well inculcated offensive mindset to a hastily ordered, eleventh hour, defensive mindset. Even after the supporting Artillery and Mortor went silent and the sky overhead was empty, bereft of IAF ground support fighter aircrafts, the Rhinos carried on fighting against the enemy and held on to the sacred ground of the motherland as the enemy assaulted with overwhelming infantry and tanks bearing devastating fire power on the Rhinos. The casualties were high, 5 Officers and 19 Rhino Jawans killed in action, two officers, one JCO and 48 jawans were wounded seriously while 28 jawans became Prisoners of War (PW).
With Special Prayerful Remembrance for the brave souls of 5 officers 17 Rhino jawans who fell defending the motherland and never returned from the Battle Field of Chhamb-1971.
- IC-13941 Maj JBS Makin
- SS-19809 Maj Ashok Kumar Suri
- IC-23148 Capt Kalyan Singh Rathod
- IC-23283 Capt Giri Raj Singh
- SS-24386 2/Lt Oliver Wilson
- 4338199 Naik Chubameren Ao
- 433553 Lance Naik P Rajbongshi
- 4339417 Sepoy PB Rai
- 4341335 Sep N Kalita
- 4342177 Sep SC Basumatari
- 4343096 Sepoy MB Rajang
- 4343572 Sepoy B Borgohain
- 4343578 Sepoy Manuaturi
- 4343850 Sepoy C Lotha
- 4343928 Sepoy CB Thapa
- 4343949 Sepoy JB Chhetri
- 4344012 Sepoy Rajendra Bey
- 4344635 Sepoy PB Thapa
- 4344648 Sepoy D Ray
- 4344728 Sepoy S Ray
- 4344937 Sepoy BK Boro
- 4345215 Sepoy BC Dutta
- 4345552 Sepoy Dysen Anal
- 4162176 Sepoy Spikar
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