Ajit Singh Nagra
The real savior of Jammu and Kashmir State was Brigadier Rajinder Singh, a Dalpatia Jamwal of village Rai Bagoona, who made conspicuous sacrifice on Oct. 27, 1947 and checked the furious advance of the Pakistan based intruders and delayed their penetration with a few men ill equipped with crude weapons and met his rendezvous with death at Bunyar near Baramulla and his wife Smt. Ram Dei remained waiting desparetly to know his final whereabouts and did not perform his rites as per the Hindu Religion.
His sacrifice reminds that we should stand indebted to those brave hearts who endured travails and tortures for our bright and better future.
Brigadier Rajinder Singh hailed from the family of great warriors who had earned great name and fame. His ancestor Gen. Baj Singh had lost his life in the defence of Chitral.
Brigadier Rajinder Singh was born on june 14, 1899 at Bagoona. His grand father was Hamir Singh, a veteran of seven battles and had scars of these battles on his body. His father Subedar vLakha Singh died when Rajinder Singh wasonly six months old. His uncle Lt. Col.Gobind Singh educated and brought him up . Rajinder Singh graduated from Prince of Wales College in 1921. He became a commissioned officer in 1921, captain in 1925, major in june 1927 colonel in Oct. 1035 and Brigadier in May 1942 and took over as the chief of the Army Staff in the rank of Major General on August 14, 1947 in place of Major Gen.H. L. Scotts. Rajinder Singh commanded 6th,^Jand K Infantry.The year 1947 proved a year of destiny and he had to undergo a severe ordeal. The tribal Invasion in Kashmir on oct. 22, 1947 petrified Maharaja Hari Singh who was occupied with celebrations of Dussehra in Srinagar along with his bed -ridden son DR. Karan Singh due to leg – fracture from a fall.Maharaja Hari Singh had returned from Mirpur tour and telephoned to Patel in to brief him with the exploding situation.Maharaja Hari Singh placed his hands on the shoulders of his Gen. and coaxed him to proceed to the war- front telling
‘‘You must sacrifice your personal life to the peace and happiness of the State and history willthank you for the sacrifice. I am not insensitive to the misfortunes of your family.’’ He saluated the Maharaja and left Srinagar at 6. 30P. M. He took 150 men Staff and students ,medium machine guns , a detachment of 3 inch mortars and three officers Capt. Prithi Singh, Capt. Khazan Singh and Lt. Nasib Singh.
Brigadier sahib was calm reticent and not irritable in his mien He marchedto Uri. It was raining but he realized that time is every thing and he left his party at Uri and marched to Garhi to contact the enemy on Oct. 23 ,1947. The enemy had the advantage of high positions. Brigadier Rajinder Singh came to Baramulla andtelephoned toBrigadier Faqir Singh at Srinagar who dispatched 70 men. Maharaja took command and sent Capt. Jawala Singh with orders to fight to the last man. They destroyed the bridges to checkthe advance of the enemy. It was well equipped with modern weapons and exceeded in number.Brigadier Rajinder Singh made first action at Garhi on oct. 23 1947 , second action at Uri on 24 Oct. 1947 3rd action at Mahura on 25 Oct. 1947 and 4th. Action on26 Oct. 1947. The driver of his jeep was killed and Brigadier sahib was driving the jeep and got wounded .He asked his people to hide him under the culvert and continued the fighting.. This brave son of mother India was martyred on 27 oct.1947, but saved the beautiful vale of Kashmir from falling into the basket of Jinnah like a ripe apple and made it an integral part of the Indian Union. Brigadier Rajinder Singh was the first Indian to be decorated with the highest gallantry award the Mahavir Chakra posthumously.He was survived by his wife Smt. Ram Dei, five daughters-Urvashi Rani, Bimla, Rambha Thakur, Usha Parmar and Karira Jamwal . He had an adopted son Major B. S. Jamwal who got wounded in 1965 war. We face the dearth of words to extoll the significance of his martyrdom but it is quite sad that we have forgotten our national hero.
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