Here is a salute to some of the decorated soldiers who will be attending the Military Literature Festival beginning at the Sukhna Lake Club in Chandigarh on Friday.
CAPT BANA SINGH, PARAM VIR CHAKRA Operation Meghdoot 1984 Honorary captain Bana Singh, then a naib subedar, volunteered to be a member of the task force constituted in June 1987 to clear an intrusion by an adversary in the Siachen Glacier area at an attitude of 21,000 feet. The post was an impregnable glacier fortress with 1,500-ft-high ice walls on both sides. After leading his men through a difficult and hazardous route, the brave naib subedar and his men closed in on the adversary. Going from trench to trench, lobbing hand-grenades and charging with a bayonet, he cleared the post of all intruders.
COL BALWAN SINGH, MAHA VIR CHAKRA Operation Vijay 1999 It was on July 3, 1999, when Lieutenant Balwan Singh was tasked to assault the Tiger Hill Top from the north-eastern direction as part of a multi-pronged attack. The route to the objective situated at a height of 16,500 feet was snowbound and interspersed with crevasses and sheer falls. The officer, with just three months of service, led and exhorted the team that moved for over twelve hours along a very precarious route and under intense artillery shelling to reach the designated spur. This move took the enemy by complete surprise as his team used cliff assault mountaineering equipment to reach the top with stealth. His inspirational leadership and conspicuous courage were instrumental in the capture of Tiger Hill, which was operationally one of the most important goals in the Drass sector.
BRIG SUKHJIT SINGH (RETD), MAHA VIR CHAKRA Operation Cactus-Lilly 1971 Lt Colonel Sukhjit Singh commanded an armoured regiment during the operations against Pakistan on the Western Front. On December 10, 1971, his regiment was deployed west of Naina Kot when the enemy launched an armoured attack in strength under cover of intense medium artillery and heavy mortar fire. Disregarding his own safety, he opened the cupola of his tank to observe and direct the fire effectively. Due to his presence and inspiring leadership, the enemy attack was beaten off without any loss to own troops. Then on December 11, he personally led an attack on the enemy in which he destroyed eight tanks and captured one officer, two junior commissioned officers and two other ranks.
CAPT REET MOHINDAR PAUL SINGH (RETD), VIR CHAKRA Operation Riddle 1965 On September 22, 1965, Second Lieutenant Reet Mohinder Pal Singh was the leader of a tank troop, which was ordered to capture an enemy position in the Lahore Sector. Having reached within 400 yards of the enemy position, he came upon an enemy minefield. Despite heavy shelling, he dismounted from his tank to find a suitable crossing for his troop. Although wounded in the chest and right arm, he completed the reconnaissance. He again braved a shell-burst, which wounded him severely in the face.
COL HARBANT SINGH KAHLON, VIR CHAKRA Operation Cactus-Lilly 1971 Captain Harbant Singh Kahlon was the observation post officer at Ranian in the Western Sector. The enemy launched seven attacks on this position between December 3 and 4 under heavy artillery support. Captain Kahlon, with complete disregard for his personal safety, moved from one position to another despite heavy shelling, observing and directing fire on enemy concentrations. With exceptional competence, he brought down artillery fire as close as twenty yards from his own position to break up the enemy assault.
COL RUPINDER SINGH SANDHU (RETD), VIR CHAKRA Operation Cactus-Lilly 1971 Second Lieutenant Rupinder Singh Sandhu was a platoon commander in a battalion of Kumaon Regiment. His company was assigned the task of capturing an enemy post in the Eastern Sector. The attack on the post was interfered by a light machine gun firing from an enemy bunker, causing heavy casualties to our troops. With complete disregard for his safety, he crawled up to this bunker to neutralise the light machine gun. He was
hit in the chest by a splinter from an enemy grenade. Undeterred, he reached the bunker, lobbed a grenade and destroyed the light machine gun. This led to the capture of the enemy post.
BRIG SARLEJEET SINGH AHLUWALIA (RETD), VIR CHAKRA Operation Cactus-Lilly 1971 Major Sarlejeet Singh Ahluwalia was commanding a company of Ladakh Scouts during the attack on enemy posts in an area in the Western Sector. He led his company in an attack on an enemy post, but came under intense fire and shelling. Despite all efforts, the attack failed to make progress. Unfazed, with 15 other ranks, Major Ahluwalia moved across the fire-swept terrain and launched an attack from an unexpected direction and captured the objective, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy.
MAJGEN SHEONAN SINGH, VIR CHAKRA Operation Pawan 1987 Major Sheonan Singh, Second-in-Command of 10 Para Commando, was deployed in Sri Lanka as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force. On October 12, 1987, Major Singh heli-landed at Kokkavil to secure the battalion a position for assault on the LTTE headquarters in Kondavil area. After landing, Major Singh occupied buildings directly opposite the LTTE headquarters. He and his commandos held on to their position tenaciously for 28 hours till a link-up with army was established at 6am on October 13, 1987.
