Major Shaitan Singh Bati : An Eternal Hero who was awarded Param Vir Chakra Posthumously
It was a morning of November !8th ,1962. The icy winds were biting and benumbing. Every single vestige of green was quivering in the unremitting storm. Light snow was falling since days with an unflinching determination to kill every sign of green. With a sadism, quintessentially Hitler’s, it was slowly wiping out every single blade of grass , and mosses.. Ironically , this time the sadist had others to compete with.. Yes , Rezang La was all decked up for a war. The two forces ( Indian and Chinese ) were about to paint the mountain red .
The 'C' Coy of the battalion, led by Major Shaitan Singh, held this crucial position at Rezang La, at a height of 5000 metres . As the icy winds howled and whiffled through the Indian battalion crounching over there Major Shaitan Singh looked visibly perturbed. He couldn’t stop himself thinking about the drawback their battalion had. More than the thin air and cold, the location of Rezang La had a more serious drawback. It was crested to Indian artillery because of an intervening feature, which meant that they had to make without the protective comfort of the big guns. Despite of all the odds he finally comforted himself and others that it is their motherland and won’t let it go so easily.
Finally in the dim light of the morning, the Chinese were seen advancing through nullahs to attack No.7 and No.8 platoon positions.. Time came to an abrupt halt.Many hearts skipped a few beats . Whole area plunged into a vortex of eerie silence.. The Indian Army troops fell on their prepared positions to face the Chinese offensive.
Eventually at 5.00 am, came the unpropitious moment when the first bullet left the barrel. The stun silence transcended to an utter pandemonium in no time. Sounds of firing up of bullet , mortar shells , heavy artillery blanketed
In no time , the nullahs were littered with dead bodies. The survivors took position behind boulders and the dead bodies. The Chinese, though they failed the first frontal attack, were not discouraged. They subjected the Indian positions to intense artillery and mortar fire at about 0540 hours. Soon about 350 Chinese troops commenced advance through the nullahs. This time, No.9 Platoon, which held fire till the enemy was within 90 metres opened up with all weapons in their possession. Within minutes, the nullahs were again full of dead bodies, mainly of the Chinese. Unsuccessful in frontal attack, the enemy, approximately 400 strong, then attacked from the rear of the company position. They simultaneously opened intense medium machine gun fire on No.8 Platoon. This attack was contained at the barbed wire fencing of the post. The Chinese then resorted to heavy artillery and mortar shelling. An assault group of 120 Chinese also charged No.7 Platoon position from the rear. However, Indian Army 3-inch mortar killed many of them. When 20 survivors charged the post, about a dozen Kumaonis rushed out of their trenches to engage them in a hand-to-hand combat. Meanwhile, the Chinese brought up fresh reinforcements. The encirclement of No.7 Platoon was now complete. The platoon, however, fought valiantly till there was no survivor. No.8 Platoon also fought bravely to the last round.
Major Shaitan Singh, the Company Commander, displayed exemplary leadership and courage amidst the bedlam. By all accounts, he led his troops most admirably.
Unmindful of his personal safety he moved from one platoon post to another and encouraged his men to fight. While moving among the posts he was seriously wounded, by a sniping Chinese MMG. But he continued to fight along with his men. While he was being evacuated by two of his comrades, the Chinese brought heavy machine gun fire on them. Major Shaitan Singh sensed danger to their lives and ordered them to leave him. They placed him behind a boulder on the slopes of a hill, where he breathed his last.
He mumbled “ JAI HIND “ as his last words and slowly the brave soul left for a heavenly abode.
May his soul rest in peace.
Source : My Grandfather (Late) Shri Rameshwar Lal Aggarwal
www.bharat-rakshak.com
www.wikipedia.com
