9TH BATTALION SIKH REGIMENT
In 1971, 9 Sikh was manning the Cease Fire Line (CFL) — as the Line
of Control (LOC) was known then — along the Shamshabari Range, extending from
Tutmari Gali to Nastachun Pass in Jammu and Kashmir. Both these passes are more
than 11,000 feet high. It was tasked to attack across the CFL and capture the
Kayian Bowl – ‘bowl’ in military jargon implies a small valley surrounded by
steep mountain ridges – which was 3,000 feet below to the south west of Tutmari
Gali. Kayian Bowl was defended by a company of Tochi Scouts which held five
tactical features dominating the bowl.
Winter had set in and night temperatures were below zero degree when
9 Sikh launched its operations on the night of December 5-6, 1971. Due to
paucity of resources and no road communications to Tutmari Gali, 9 Sikh had no
artillery support. The unit was raised in 1963. It had some of the most dynamic
young officers of the Sikh Regiment led by their equally dynamic Commanding
Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Sam Chengappa. To make up for lack of fire support,
9 Sikh adopted German tactics of infiltration attacks, which were based on the
concepts of ‘reconnaissance pull’ and ‘surfaces and gaps’ — an attacking force
is led by the reconnaissance patrols that locate the gaps between the defences.
The ‘surfaces’, i.e. the defences, are avoided and the weaker defences in the
rear are attacked first, cutting off the routes of logistic maintenance and
withdrawal. The stronger main defences are then attacked from the rear.
Since it was practically impossible to carry him, the Platoon
Commander decided to leave Baldev behind with the promise that he would be
picked up on their way back. Captain Karam gave his own water bottle to Baldev
whose water bottle was empty as well as half a bar of chocolate and two small
oranges. In addition he had some emergency rations in the form of shakar paras.
Since Sepoy Baldev was incapacitated to handle his rifle, it was replaced with a
carbine and the injured Baldev was made to rest against a boulder behind a bush.
Initially, he was alert and attentive, ears cocked and weapon ready. With the
passage of time, due to intense pain, loss of blood and severe cold, his senses
blurred. His food supply and water ran out, so did his strength, but not his
will power.
Meanwhile, the Commando Platoon, due to enemy pressure, was forced to
take a different route on the night of December 16-17, for exfiltration. As a
result, they couldn’t pick up Baldev Singh. A pack of stray dogs, sensing that
the soldier’s end was near, closed in on him and awaited his death.
Initially,Baldev fired with his carbine to keep the dogs at bay. Later, not
even able to raise his weapon to fire, he took out his commando knife. But the
fear of the knife staved off the dogs only for a day. Soon, it was difficult for
him to even raise his hands. Baldev then kept the index finger of his right hand
on his nose and whenever the dogs came near to confirm his death, he would, with
herculean effort, lift the finger straight up. He was acting on what he’d learnt
in his childhood— dogs do not eat a living man. Every time he’d raise his
finger, the dogs would withdraw and wait for Baldev’s finger to go down.
Ceasefire was declared on December 17 and flag meetings between the
opposing forces commenced. The Pakistani army was given the map reference of the
place where Baldev had been left behind and a request was made to try and find
him. The first search was done in a routine manner and a negative report was
given. In the next flag meeting, a request was made by Capt Karam Singh to
Lieutenant Colonel Haq Nawaz Kayani, a brave and chivalrous officer who had been
awarded the Sitara e Jurrat in 1965 and was now the Commanding Officer of 9 Azad
Kashmir Battalion. Lt Col Kayani ordered a thorough search and on December 22, a
Pakistani patrol succeeded in locating SepoyBaldev Singh. By then, he was barely
conscious, but with a finger still on his nose and surrounded by a pack of stray
dogs. On seeing the patrol, the dogs slowly moved away.
Baldev had been lying badly wounded in sub zero temperatures for six
and a half days. He was soon evacuated to Muzaffarabad and then to the military
hospital in Rawalpindi. He remained under the care of Pakistani medical
authorities for the next six months. Prolonged exposure to severe cold and loss
of blood had done tremendous damage to his toes and fingers. All his toes and
the fingers of his right hand had to be amputated in order to save him.
When Baldev returned to India after the exchange of prisoners, he
underwent another round of hospitalisation. Due to further complications, both
his legs were amputated from mid calf, as was his right hand below the elbow. In
1973, he was at the artificial limb centre at Pune when Captain Karam Singh went
to meet him and learnt first-hand about this great saga of survival against all
odds.
Baldev credited his life to the Pakistani stray dogs and explained,
“For the first few days, I had the strength, alertness and also ammunition. I
kept the dogs at bay by firing at them. Soon my ammunition finished and so did
my food. I had to struggle against the chilling cold and excruciating pain even
to raise my commando knife. In another couple of days, I started getting
fainting spells, but my courage and determination did not flag. “Main nahin si
chahunda kih Pakistan de awara kutte meri lash nu khajan! (I did not want the
Pakistani stray dogs to eat my dead body!) I could barely raise my finger, that
too with great effort, to tell the dogs that I’m still alive. These dogs had
been the angels who kept me alive for six and half days. I thank these dogs for
their patience as they would not eat a living human being.”
Of course, his story would not be complete if I do not acknowledge
the chivalry of Lt Col Haq Nawaz Kayani who ordered a thorough search to locate
Baldev Singh. Lt Col Kayani was killed in action in the same area on 5 May, 1972
while leading his unit in a counter attack to recover a position lost in the
war. He was deservedly awarded a bar to the Sitar e Jurrat.
Sepoy Baldev Singh now lives in his village near Ropar. The story of
this brave soldier’s survival is indeed a saga of the triumph of human spirit!
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