The last rites of Major Shaitan Singh
Photo Credit: Courtesy: Jai Samota
Till the Kargil War, it was a long-accepted practice that the bodies of Indian soldiers who were slain in action would not be sent home but cremated near the battlefield. However, there was one instance in 1963 when a soldier's remains were sent to his home. On February 18, 1963 thousands of people gathered in Jodhpur to celebrate the final journey of a national hero, the hero of Chushul: Major Shaitan Singh, PVC.
On November 18, 1962, the Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon fought one of the fiercest battles the Indian Army had ever been engaged in, at Rezang La. The company was commanded by Major Shaitan Singh, who went missing in action along with 113 of his fellow soldiers. The 13 Kumaon would still be based in Durbuk till February.
Three Months Later...
In the first week of February, a local Ladakhi shepherd and his herd of cattle were passing across the Rezang La region when he was stunned by the sight of what he saw: combatants frozen to death, still holding their damaged weapons. Their guns bulged from constant fire and were mostly empty. He rushed to notify the closest Army unit, a few kilometres away.
The Army and the government focused mostly on the news. A week later, on February 12, 1963, the first Indian party of the Indian Army and the International Red Cross, armed with motion and still cameras from the Press Information Bureau, ascended Rezang La. Brig. T.N. Raina was in command of the search team, which also included Lieutenant Colonel H.S. Dhingra, AVSM, Subedar Major Changdi Ram, Major Girish Narayan Sinha, the Battalion 2-IC, and a number of other officials, along with soldiers from 13 Kumaon. The adjutant of 1 Jat (LI) Captain K.S. Kang had specifically requested his CO to allow him to join the search mission.
Major Shaitan Singh
Photo Credit: Courtesy: Jai Samota
When the team arrived at the summit, what they saw was beyond belief. One could actually see the bunkers and fortifications that had been demolished by Chinese artillery. Sandbags had been torn apart by bullets and splinters, and fragments of these bullets and artillery ammunition were scattered around the scene. The team also saw the martyred soldiers' bullet- and splinter-riddled bodies, still holding firearms firmly in their hands. Dharampal Dhaiya, the nursing assistant, still had a bandage and a morphine syringe in his hands. He lost his life aiding a fellow soldier. The company's headquarters had sustained heavy shelling during the last strike. Major Shaitan Singh's body had not been found up to this time. All the victims had been shot in the front, no one had been shot in the back while trying to flee. They perished as heroes in battle. When Brig T.N. Raina realised this, he was in tears.
Major Shaitan Singh's radio operator, Sep. Ram Chander, helped locate his body. It was near the area where Ram Chander and the two Havildars last saw him. His body was still resting on a boulder, and his hands held an LMG with the trigger depressed. Wild birds had feasted on his nose and eyes already, and the terrible cold turned his entire face black.
Bodies of soldiers being carried back
Photo Credit: Courtesy: Jai Samota
His body was found to have eight bullet holes, mostly in and around his left arm and the abdomen. Bodies of as many as 97 soldiers, including Major Shaitan Singh, were found till February 13. Removing the weapons from their hands required cutting off the fingers, so tightly were they gripped. The bodies were carried down with the assistance of borrowed yaks and ponies. Major Shaitan Singh's family was informed that his remains were expected to arrive in Palam on February 15 and that they might be able to attend his funeral at Delhi Cantonment the same day. On February 15, Major Shaitan Singh's remains were taken to Fukche Airfield after being accorded a guard of honour in Chushul. Major Rewat Singh, a friend from school, who was in command of a company of 9 Dogra, was present at the airstrip. He received his friend's mortals, with whom he had grown up, with a heavy heart.
Major Shaitan Singh's body was to be flown from Fukche to Delhi - where the cremation was scheduled - in a special ice-packed casket inside a transport aircraft operated by No. 19 TPT Squadron. The Major's family travelled to Jodhpur from their village. Eventually, with the help of Col Mohan Singh and Lieutenant-General Bikram Singh, who issued the directive to bring the Major's remains to Jodhpur, the same aircraft that was scheduled to travel to Delhi took off for Jodhpur. And that was the first time in the history of the Indian Army that the remains of a soldier were sent to his home.
People gather for Major Shaitan Singh's funeral procession
Photo Credit: Courtesy: Jai Samota
The aircraft landed at the Jodhpur Airfield at 15:42. A large crowd had gathered. The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Delhi and Rajasthan area received the body in the presence of the then Rajasthan Chief Minister Mohanlal Sukhadia. The coffin was carried by the Army and Air Force officers on their shoulders. As many as 175 soldiers paid their respects to the Paramvir at the airstrip with a guard of honour. The coffin was delivered to Colonel Mohan Singh's residence. As he had requested, the Major's body was to be sent to his home, not the village. His eyes welling with grief, he spoke as he received the body, "Shaitan Singh is my commanding officer as of right now; I was his until this moment." Narpat, who had been called from Ajmer, came to Jodhpur upon learning of his father's demise. He hugged him and cried when he saw the body, wrapped in white cloth. The body was then taken outside, where thousands of people gathered as the last rites began later. The route taken by the procession was five miles long. On either side of the street, thousands of people gathered.
People gather to pay their respects to Shaitan Singh
Photo Credit: Courtesy: Jai Samota
Some 500 yards from the Caga Crematorium, the coffin was taken out of the car and carried by troops. Soldiers from 1 Sikh provided the final guard of honour, while a band from the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles played the last post on bugles and drums. The men carried the casket to Caga, marching slowly and firmly. The casket was set on a platform where wreaths were supposed to be laid. Those present included the President, the Prime Minister, the Governor of Rajasthan, the Defence Minister, the GOC-in-C of Western Command, the Colonel of the Kumaon Regiment, and a few Rajasthani royal families.
Three months after his death at the battle of Rezang La, Narpat lit his father's pyre, initiating the final rites. Over the next few days, hundreds of journalists covered this story. Reports of awe and gratitude flew in from across the country. Some women even named their newborns Shaitan Singh in honour of the legendary soldier. Such was the bravery and courage he had shown.
(Jai Samota is a student and writer from Barisadri, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, and author of Major Shaitan Singh, PVC: The Man in Half Light)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author.