On November 18th, contingent of Indian Army paid glowing tributes to the martyrs of the battle of Rezang La in Chushul, the 16,404 feet high battleground where 114 out of 120 troops of Charlie Coy of 13th Kumaon Regiment laid down their lives while fighting the Chinese in the war of 1962. Never has such a heroic feat been performed by soldiers of incomparable intrepidity in face of forbidding odds, the piercing winds of Himalayan heights and the superior fire power of the enemy. The saga of Rezang La has become a legend in the history of Indian Army’s operations, and after re-raising the Charley Coy the Army headquarter re-christened it as Rezang La Coy. But remember before getting martyred, these veterans put no fewer than 300 Chinese soldiers to death whose bodies lay scattered over the battle field like berries in a market.
The site where the memorial has been raised actually is the spot where the bodies of martyred soldiers recovered from under the snow four months later were given mass cremation. The greatest of the great heroes, who conducted this unforgettable feat of valour, in which sacrificing the life had become the only option while defending the country’s borders, was Major Shaitan Singh the martyr. His words to his soldiers, whose morale he boosted by moving from post to post in face of heavy shelling by the enemy were what have come down to be the lasting words of a martyr. “How can a man die better than facing fearful odds”—-these were the last words of Major Shaitan Singh to his soldiers. Unmindful of the barrage of artillery fire from the enemy, this warrior of unparalleled heroism and patriotism inspired his men by holding his ground and responding to the enemy fire with double the intensity. No words are enough to tell the saga of his bravery and fearlessness on the battlefield.
Two survivors of the Rezang La battle, Havildar Ramvir Singh and Honorary Captain Ram Chandra participated in the function and shared heroic contribution of each and every troop of Charley Coy. They recounted the hair-raising story of outstanding bravery of their companions who lay dead one after the other while targeting the enemy. The audience were surcharged with emotions and the slogans of patriotism were raised by the soldiers and the civilians who had gathered in large numbers on the occasion.
The sacrifices of the martyrs of Chushul are part of sustained sacrifices made by the valiant soldiers of Indian Army in fighting the enemy on the western and the eastern front. As we know, the two neighbours, who have entered into unholy alliance against us, have been nursing nefarious designs against our country. Both of them are the enemies of democratic arrangement which India is trying to maintain in face of dire odds. The world powers have to understand that violation of the border by the two neighbours with nefarious design is actually an assault on democracy which India has been upholding at great peril to her sovereignty and economy. Democracy is undergoing the litmus test whether it will survive against the odds like military dictatorship and authoritarian rule. How sad that some of the western countries that claim to be democratic and liberal have been covertly and overtly extending support to these anti-democracy forces in Asian Continent. India is a mosaic of cultures, faiths, languages and ethnicity. Her experiment with democracy as the political arrangement to carry these denominations towards economic prosperity and political stability through democratic dispensation has never been made before in the annals of history. The inimical forces have let loose terror, mayhem and destruction against our country. We are passing through a critical period of our history.
Aware of these antagonistic forces ganging up against our interests, India had made it a point to face the challenge and defeat their designs. We have moved away from the Sino-Indian war of 1962, and we have developed self sufficiency in protecting our borders and our sovereignty at all costs. India of 2014 is not the India of 1962. We will face the enemy at every step and will not let her occupy a single inch of our land. We have made stupendous sacrifices to defend our land and no power on earth has the strength to cow us down. Be it clandestine infiltration across LoC, be it proxy war, be it intimidation and unsubstantiated claims on parts of our frontier territory, or be it the externally sponsored separatists and secessionists, our brave soldiers will thwart each and every game plan and give the detractors a befitting reply. We are standing up to terror with eyeball to eyeball stance and our hostile neighbours are fully aware that their machinations will not be allowed to succeed.
We salute the martyrs of Rezang La battle; we shall uphold their memory in our hearts and we shall follow in their footsteps if we are asked to make sacrifices for this great and historic nation. Let this be the clear message to those who are prompted to rise in armed insurgency and foment trouble for our people.
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