Forgotten heroes of the 1962 India-China War – Firstpost

A few weeks ago, General Upendra Dwivedi, the Chief of Army Staff, termed the situation on the northern border as ‘sensitive but stable’, adding that the Army’s deployment was ‘balanced and robust’. He also spoke of the ‘degree of standoff’ prevailing along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). In the meantime, Beijing often threatens New Delhi with a redo of 1962.

It is true that for the Indian nation, the 1962 conflict with China has been one of the most traumatic post-independence events; not only for those who fought, for their families, the Indian Army, but also for the general public, the experience has remained a scar.

China put the blame for the war squarely on India; Beijing’s historians still call it a ‘counter-attack’ in the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) and Ladakh, as if India ‘attacked’ China.

India of 2025 is not the India of the 1950s or 1960s; moreover, threatening a ‘repeat of 1962’ ignores many battles where the Chinese PLA got a befitting reply from Indian soldiers and officers; it is, however, true that 62 years after the event, there are still several unacknowledged Indian heroes who have been neglected by history (and by the government).

The Forgotten Heroes

Though the official history of the war published by the Ministry of Defence records the prowess of several units, many individual heroes are not (or only briefly) mentioned.

Take the 2nd Battalion of the Rajput Regiment; the official history says, “Of the units deployed on the Namkha Chu [river], the Rajputs suffered the most. …they were caught between the frontal fire of the Chinese guns and the main attack from the rear. Their companies were widely dispersed, and each fought its own battle, taking on wave after wave of the enemy as long as men remained standing. In many cases, entire platoons were wiped out.”

Most of the company commanders were killed; only a wounded Commanding Officer (CO), Lt Col Maha Singh Rikh and his second-in-command, Maj Gurdial Singh (who was eventually awarded a MVC) survived; both were taken to Tibet as POWs; the former’s role is unknown even today.

The Tale of Maj BK Pant

One of the officers of the 2 Rajput, who is hardly mentioned in the official history of the Battle of Namkha Chu, is Major BK Pant.

In his memoirs (‘The Himalayan Blunder’) Brig JP (John) Dalvi, the commander of the ill-fated 7th Infantry Brigade, recalled the young major’s leadership and indomitable courage, a true epic: “When the Chinese shelling commenced, Pant went round the locality bracing the men for the inevitable assault. He told the men that this was the day in which they would write a new chapter in the history of the battalion, and the time had come to show the Chinese the qualities that had made the name Rajput synonymous with courage and tenacity.”

Why his bravery was not recorded in the official history is a mystery.

Dalvi explained that Pant was wounded in the leg but continued to insist on exposing himself during the shelling “to reassure his men who had never experienced artillery fire”.

Pant’s last words were, “Men of the Rajput Regiment, you were born but to die for your country. God has selected this small river for which you must die. Stand up and fight as true Rajputs.”

Out of 112 men in Major Pant’s force, 82 were killed or wounded.

After retirement, Lt Col (then Brig) Rikh recalled his experience while being interrogated by the Chinese in the POW Camp in Tibet: “They asked me on several occasions what were the characteristics of the Rajput Battalion as different from that of other troops in the Indian Army. I enquired of them the reason why they were asking me these questions. They finally told me that it was in the first battle on October 20, 1962, that the Chinese Army had suffered the maximum casualties of all the fighting in NEFA. These casualties had been inflicted on them by the battalion. I felt proud to have commanded such a unit.”

It should be noted that the remains of the Indian officers were not found when the area was re-occupied by India in the 1980s. What happened to the bodies of the Indian officers killed on the Namkha Chu and other surrounding areas is still a mystery. One can only assume that they were taken to Tibet and buried there.

Another Hero, Lt Col Brahmanand Avasthy

Born in the Farukkhabad district of Uttar Pradesh, Lt Col Avasthy was like Maha Singh Rikh and BK Pant commissioned into 2 Rajput.

Considered to be one of the brightest infantry officers at the time of the conflict, he was given the command of 4 Rajput Battalion, with whom he fought a heroic battle at Lagyala Gompa (monastery) overlooking the Morshing Valley in NEFA’s Kameng Frontier Division.

The Battle of Lagyala Gompa

Once he reached his allotted sector, Col Awasthy decided to defend a particular bridge to allow the remnants of the 65th Infantry Brigade (belonging to the 4th Division) to retreat. On November 18, in the morning, the Brigade HQ asked the battalion to withdraw.

According to the website Bharat Rakshak: “The track bifurcated with one side climbing towards an old monastery, Lagyala Gompa, and the other following a stream towards Morshing. Lt Col Avasthy decided to take the route to Lagyala Gompa.” It was one of the oldest Buddhist gompas in the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA).

Though a ceasefire had been declared by China on November 22, the Indian troops were unaware of it: “[The] steep climb to the monastery making it an ideal place for ambush. The movement of Lt Col Avasthy’s troops was being tracked by the enemy forces and a 500-strong Chinese unit … As Lt Col Avasthy and his troops approached the gompa, they came under heavy fire from the Chinese,” says the military website.

The narration continues: “The battle was fierce, and the Chinese, annoyed by the casualties they were taking, tried to isolate Lt Col Avasthy and cut him off. But Lt Col Avasthy’s men surrounded their valiant commanding officer and fought to the bitter end. … Lt Col Avasthy and all his gallant soldiers were martyred, and the battlefield was littered with the bodies of 126 Indian soldiers and over 200 Chinese soldiers.”

The Chinese records of the battle say, “209 Indian troops were wiped out, including a battalion commander, Lt Col [Awasti]; 13 LMGs, 114 long & short rifles, two 51 Mortar, one 90 mortar, 3 periscopes, and some ammunition were seized. [The Chinese] 3rd battalion of the 154th regiment suffered 36 casualties: 25 injured and 11 killed.”

Another Battle, Another Hero

This time near Limeking in the Subansiri sector of NEFA, the troops of 2 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles (2 JAK) faced the Chinese troops.

After they crossed the Subansiri at Gelenshiniak, the confluence of the Tsari and Subansiri rivers, the PLA started to move further south.

According to a book, The Fantastic Fifth, the History of the Oldest Infantry Brigade, the first contact between the Chinese and the Indian troops took place on November 4, 1962, north of the river, where the Chinese “were constructing bunkers across the river Subansiri and covering the Rio Bridge by fire. Reports were also coming in that the Chinese were trying to outflank Limeking and Taliha [further south].”

The Legend of Shere Thapa

This record adds, “On 18 November at 3 pm, about two hundred Chinese troops came in contact with [a] protective patrol. As soon as the Chinese entered the killing area of the patrol, the latter opened up with 2 Inch Mortar, Light Machine Guns and Rifles. … The exchange of fire lasted for over forty-eight hours, and the protective patrol held the ground with courage and determination, despite overwhelming strength and a barrage of supporting fire by the enemy. The patrol withdrew only when its ammunition had been expended.”

Havildar Shere Thapa lost his life. “His act of bravery is enshrined in golden letters in the annals of the Indian Army. He took a heavy toll on the enemy and inflicted a number of casualties with his LMG single-handedly… He kept on firing with his LMG till he ran out of ammunition, foiling wave after wave of assaulting Chinese. This brave Havildar received a fatal hit from a Chinese machine gun burst,” says the 5th Brigade’s annals, adding that Shere Thapa managed to delay the Chinese for seventy-two hours.

Of course many more such stories could be recounted, as several true heroes have never received an award or even been acknowledged by India.

However, the fact remains that today the Indian Army is far better prepared for a conflict than in 1962, and one great advantage over China is that the Indian Army is still able to produce remarkable officers and soldiers, with great motivation, gusto, and devotion to duty. In case of a conflict, new Pants, Rikhs, Avasthys or Thapas will emerge, and that makes the difference.

The writer is Distinguished Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (Delhi). Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.