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how many soldiers in the Charlie Company had stood that
morning of November 18, 1962 (-24 degrees Celsius was
recorded that morning) to defend Rezang La, a vital approach
to Chushul Valley. It was 120, including the company com-
mander, Major Shaitan Singh Bhati. Of these, 109 died fight-
ing, five were wounded and taken prisoner by the Chinese. A
few escaped later it night, in the confusion, as the Chinese
licked their wounds. Among those who managed to escape
and tell the tale was (then) Sepoy Ramchander Yadav, the
major's batman and radio operator, who was charged with
concealing his valiant officer's body so the Chinese wouldn't
find it, which he did successfully. He led a joint International
Red Cross and Indian army expedition the following February
to the exact spot where Shaitan Singh (awarded the Param
Vir Chakra) lay between two boulders, buried by him under
snow, a patch of frozen blood and a white mitten kept as a
marker. Last Sunday, Ramchander, and (then) Sepoy Nihal
Singh, who manned the LMG (light machine-gun) with the
major's party, was the last man firing from his company head-
quarters until a Chinese MMG burst went through both his el-
bows, was taken prisoner and escaped despite his fresh
wounds, agreed to come to Rewari to tell me the story of those
incredible five hours 50 years ago. It is the first time I am mak-
ing such a pitch, but you will understand why. So please catch
their first-person accounts on NDTV 24x7's Walk the Talk, in a
special two-part conversation this evening, and the following
Saturday.
(Reproduced from Indian Express)
-eAt3
Brahmarpan December 2012 Vol. 6 NO.6
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