The strategically important 'Fingers', the spurs located on the northern bank of Pangong Tso in Ladakh, have been talked about a lot. But few know about the battle of Sirjap, located north of the beautiful lake.
It was the year 1962. In the month of June, orders came to establish a post on the north bank of Pangong Tso. In order to clearly demonstrate India's presence, Brigade Commander Brigadier Rawind Singh Grewal, MC, chose that this post would be at Sirjap. To cross the lake, the Brigadier managed to get a few storm boats.
How The Sirjap Post Was Established
The task of establishing the post was given to Major PP Singh, the commander of the 1/8 Gorkha Rifles' Delta Company. On June 12, Singh along with Captain P.L. Kher boarded set off to establish a section-sized post at Sirjap. But it wouldn't be long before the enemy surrounded it. When the message for help came, Major DS Rawat and Quartermaster Captain Issac David Joseph left by boat with a few others to reinforce Sirjap in case there was an attack. Then, on July 21, Captain Ved Parkash Bhasin would establish a second post there, Sirjap-II. These two together made up the Sirjap complex. Just on the opposite bank, there was the Yula complex, manned by another company of 1/8 Gorkha Rifles.
In August, Major Dhan Singh Thapa was sent to Sirjap as commander of the Delta Company. All this time, the Chinese had been strengthening their posts and exerting psychological pressure on Indian troops through propaganda messages. What made things more challenging was that the Sirjap complex, maintained by assault boats, had no land connection to the Chushul Garrison. The Chinese, in contrast, were well-prepared, and they were closing in. With direct road linkages to the place with Khurnak Fort, it was much easier for them to transport reinforcements, supplies, and heavy weaponry. Indian forces, in contrast, had only personal weapons and LMGs, with the lake serving as the only supply line.
The Battle of Sirjap
The Indo-China war started on October 20, and by the next morning, the Indian Army position at Sirjap-I had come under attack from Chinese artillery and mortars. The Gorkha troops at Sirjap-I had already been severely injured in the onslaught. At this point, the Chinese began to progressively approach the Indian stronghold, and Major Thapa's isolated company was assaulted heavily by the PLA forces. The Chinese soon came up with light tanks, against which Indian troops had no weapons. Even so, Major Thapa's Gorkha men managed to respond to three enemy attacks.
Unfortunately, Thapa's company suffered greatly. When the Gorkhas' ammunition ran out, they took on the enemy with their 'khukri', yelling 'Jai Maa Kali Aayo Gorkhali'. Just seven of Thapa's 28 troops survived at the end of that battle. Sirjap-I fell to the enemy ultimately, and after overpowering the Indian forces, the Chinese captured Major Thapa as a prisoner of war. After heavy fighting, the Chinese also took control of Sirjap-II. Nobody survived there except Rifleman Tulsiram Thapa, who was captured by the Chinese but would later manage to sneak out in the dark.
Major D.S. Thapa, and right, Thapa receiving the Param Vir Chakra
When All Were Assumed Dead
Meanwhile, from the observation post at Tokung, one could see smoke clouds rising over the embattled area. A patrol boat was dispatched from the battalion headquarters to take stock of the situation, led by Naik Rabi Lal Thapa. But barely 1,000 yards from the post, the boat came under enemy attack and was forced to turn back, assuming that the entire Sirjap post had collapsed and that Major Thapa and his men had been killed.
Later, when the headquarters decided to evacuate all the posts in Pangong Tso, including Yula, Naik Rabi Lal Thapa again volunteered to lead the effort. He eventually managed to evacuate all the casualties and the survivors, including the seven from the Thapa company and others from Yula-III. As for Yula-I and Yula-II, the Chinese surrounded both and cut off all escape routes for the posts. The Indians fought till the ammo ran out, but when communication died, all the men there were assumed to have been killed in action.
The Indian soldiers fought till the last bullet. The seven men from the Thapa company who managed to be rescued in the dark of the night by boats later recounted how the enemy had lined up and shot dead all the severely wounded personnel who couldn't walk. In total, the Gorkhas lost 33 men at the battles of Sirjap and Yula. Rifleman Tulsiram Thapa received the Vir Chakra, Naik Rabi Lal Thapa was awarded the Mahavir Chakra, and Major Dhan Singh Thapa got the Paramvir Chakra (initially posthumously). In 1963, all the men taken as PoWs, including Major Dhan Singh Thapa, were repatriated to India.
(All photos courtesy of the author)
(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