Major Shaitan Singh Bhati was born on December 1, 1924, in Jodhpur, Rajasthan to a military family. Son of an Army officer Lt Col Hem Singh Bhati, Maj Shaitan Singh was commissioned into the Kumaon Regiment on 01 Aug 1949. The Indo-China war of 1962, offered Maj Shaitan Singh the opportunity to show his valour in the Chushul sector of Ladakh. The Chushul sector which was at a distance of 25 kilometres from the border held great importance in the context of the border dispute of Aksai Chin with China. During the war, Maj Shaitan Singh’s unit was deployed at Rezang La post in that sector at a height of 17000 feet.
Battle of Rezang La: 18 Nov 1962
Major Shaitan Singh was commanding a company of an infantry battalion deployed at Rezang La in the Chusul sector at a height of about 17,000 feet. The locality was isolated from the main defended sector and consisted of five platoon-defended positions. On 18 November 1962, the Chinese forces subjected the company position to heavy artillery, mortar and small arms fire and attacked it in overwhelming strength in several successive waves. Against heavy odds, our troops beat back successive waves of enemy attack. During the action, Major Shaitan Singh dominated the scene of operations and moved at great personal risk from one platoon post to another sustaining the morale of his hard-pressed platoon posts. While doing so he was seriously wounded but continued to encourage and lead his men, who, following his brave example fought gallantly and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. For every man lost to us, the enemy lost four or five. When Major Shaitan Singh fell disabled by wounds in his arms and abdomen, his men tried to evacuate him but they came under heavy machine-gun fire. Major Shaitan Singh then ordered his men to leave him to his fate in order to save their lives.
Major Shaitan Singh’s supreme courage, leadership and exemplary devotion to duty inspired his company to fight almost to the last man.
Komentarze