BRAVE PVC STORIES - 1948Karam Singh
Richhmar Gali, Kashmir
13 October 1948
The Sikh soldier peering out of the trench looks worried. ‘Dushman nedhe si. Assi tinn see, tey chautha tu—hun kee kariye?’ (The enemy has come close. We are just three, and you are the fourth—what do we do?) he whispers to his section commander Lance Naik Karam Singh, who is standing beside him, still and ramrod straight. Karam Singh is a handsome Sikh, more than six feet tall. A proud upturned moustache and dark beard lend him a dark, brooding appearance. He is holding a. 303 rifle. His trousers are soaked with blood from the injuries he has been subjected to in the earlier gunfight. He and his men have been able to beat back the first attack from the Pakistanis,
but the enemy is back with renewed vigour.
Karam Singh does not answer. His eyes are narrowed in concentration. He is watching the armed Pakistani soldiers advancing towards his outpost. There are just four men in his section and they have already been under intense shelling. All of them are bleeding from bullet as well as splintering rock hits from continuous artillery shelling by the enemy. He looks at the gun is in his hands but he knows there are too many of them for gunfire to be effective. Besides, he is running short of ammunition and since there is continuous shelling there is no way to get more from the main company position, which is far behind. The enemy soldiers have come closer. Karam Singh reaches into his backpack and, pulling out a grenade, bites the pin off with his teeth. Swinging his arm in a wide half-circle he flings it at them with the war cry of ‘Jo bole so nihal, sat Sri Akaal’. The physical strain of the muscle movement runs right down to his leg and he winces in pain, but he does not take his eyes off the arc of the grenade flying through the air.
It lands right in the path of the first row of advancing soldiers and a loud blast echoes through Richhmar Gali. Some of the men fall, screaming in pain; the others have lost their composure.
It is only then that Karam Singh turns to look at the tense, mud-stained faces of his tired and injured comrades and smiles. Jadon assi ithe jaan de dange tan saddi keemat wadh jaavegi,’ (If we die fighting, we will always be remembered) he says, his voice firm. ‘Sade piche bathere ne ladanwaale. Saari company sade piche hai.’ (There are many who will continue the fight after we die) With that, he rummages in his backpack for another grenade, removes the pin and tosses it at those of the enemy soldiers who are still advancing. Another deadly blast rents the air.
Lance Naik Karam Singh was commanding an Alpha Company outpost at Richhmar Gali when around 6 a. m. on 13 October 1948 his section came under a do-or-die attack from the Pakistanis. It was Id, and the Pakistanis had launched a desperate attack to win back the area they had lost to the Indian Army. Karam Singh and his men were completely outnumbered, but they refused to be cowed down by the enemy whose aim was to recapture Richhmar Gali, skirt Tithwal and move in to attack Srinagar. The enemy soldiers were coming in wave after wave in a bid to take over the outpost of A Company of 1 Sikh. It is to their credit that Karam Singh and his men managed to hold on to their post during two fierce attacks—the first of which came at 6 a. m. and the second followed at 9. 30 a. m.
The men of 1 Sikh still talk about how these two attacks could be beaten back only because of Karam Singh’s courage and will to fight till the end. He is believed to have stemmed the enemy advances almost singlehandedly and wiped out two sections with his perfectly aimed grenades. But after repulsing the second attack, the brave soldier was quick to realize that he would not be able to hold on for much longer. He and his men were heavily outnumbered at one to ten; three of them had already sustained serious injuries and they were also running out of ammunition. In the intense artillery shelling and mortar fire that was coming from the enemy there was no hope of ammunition being brought to them from the main company position either. He decided to rejoin the main company, but insisted on carrying along his two badly wounded comrades.
Without a thought for his own safety or injuries, he pulled out the two wounded men with the help of the fourth soldier, who was the only one left unharmed. Putting their lives on hold, the two of them dragged the injured men through the intense enemy shelling and managed to get them back to the main company bunkers.
Around 10 a. m., the enemy launched another attack, this time on the company position. Without a thought for his grievous injuries, Karam Singh went about fighting from the frontline trenches. He held on even when the enemy mortar fire and shelling managed to destroy almost every single bunker of the platoon. Moving from bunker to bunker, he implored his tired men to continue being brave; to fight like proud Khalsa warriors. He helped in getting the wounded out and encouraged the uninjured to fight back without fear. He did not let the morale of the soldiers sag though the day when the enemy launched one attack after another.
During one of these attacks, Karam Singh was injured yet again, but he kept his faith and, despite the depleting strength of the company, continued the fight. In the next attack that came around 1 p. m., Karam Singh immortalized himself in the war records of his paltan (unit) by another exemplary act of bravery.
Fifth Pakistani attack, 1 p. m.
The Pakistani soldiers have launched a fifth attack. There has been no respite since 6 a. m. and the tiredness as well as the strain of his injury is bogging Karam Singh down. He grits his teeth to bear the pain and trains his gun on the enemy soldiers moving forward through the grenade smoke. He finds that two of them have sprinted the final few yards and are now right in front of his trench, brandishing their rifles. They are too close to be shot without hurting his own men. Without hesitating for a second, Karam Singh fixes the bayonet on to his rifle and leaps out of the trench. Lifting the bayonet in the air with a bloodcurdling war cry, he shoves it right inside the chest of the Pakistani soldier in front of him. Before the shocked man can realize what has happened, the hefty Sikh has struck again. ‘Ghonp nikal, ghonp nikal’, Karam Singh mumbles under his breath, remembering the drill taught to him by his ustad (instructor), at the centre.
The enemy soldier lies dead before him, horror writ large in his open eyes. Pulling the bayonet out of his body, Karam Singh pulls it back as far as his arms can go and in a split second brings it forward again with force, pushing it into the stomach of the next man, who is trying to shoot. A fountain of red springs forth as the lethal blade cuts into the man’s skin and intestines, making him double up and collapse in pain and terror. Karam Singh pulls his bayonet out, and lifting his arm right over his head, pushes it into the fallen man once again relieving him of all pain forever. He jumps back into the trench before his comrades can even fathom what has happened.
Shocked by this savage attack and the coldblooded killings by the hefty Sikh warrior, the enemy soldiers retreat one more time. They do not give up though and keep returning despite being beaten back each time by the strong defence put up by the company. It is 7 p. m. when the enemy’s will is finally broken and they give up. By then, they have launched eight attacks on Karam Singh’s company, all of which had been repulsed by the Sikhs. They have fired 3, 000 shells, which have taken a heavy toll and destroyed almost all the A Company bunkers but have not been able to break the spirit of the men. 1 Sikh lose 10 men and have 37 wounded during the battle, which is later described by division commander Major General K. S. Thimayya, DSO as a ‘uniquely magnificent fight’. Lance Naik Karam Singh MM is awarded the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) for his devotion to duty and bravery beyond comparison. He is the first soldier to receive it live.
Not only did Karam Singh survive his injuries; he even marched up to India’s first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad, to receive his PVC.
This was his second gallantry award. He had been awarded the Military Medal for his bravery in Burma while he was fighting under the British. He was among the five persons chosen by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to hoist the National Flag on 15 August 1947. He lived on to 77 years of age, rose to the rank of Honorary Captain in his beloved battalion and died peacefully at home in 1993.
Karam Singh is fondly remembered by his regiment as the war hero who not only inspired his men to fight and kill, but also helped them retain their confidence despite being grossly outnumbered in the battle of Richhmar Gali.
Most of what I learnt about Karam came from Subedar Kala Singh, retired soldier from 1 Sikh, who was Lance Nayak Karam Singh’s sahayak many years back. I took a train, then a 45-km ride out of Bathinda in an Army gypsy, to visit him in his brick-lined house in Chehalanwali village.
The interview was accompanied by Kala Sahab’s warm Punjab hospitality, which included endless glasses of sour lassi, rotis served with ghee and pickle, and a photo session with the entire family, which included the family goat and tractor.
Old man Kala has a twinkle in his eye when he talks of Karam Singh Saab. He served with the ‘48 war hero and has many memories he is keen to share. ‘We all knew Saab had got a Military Medal in Burma when he was a young soldier. Though he did not talk about it all that much, he would often tell us of episodes from the battle of Richhmar Gali, when he almost singlehandedly foiled Pakistanis bid to take over Company Post. He was a man with guts,’ says Kala. ‘He could fight not just in war but also in peace. When he felt something was not right, he would never hesitate to say it.’
When Karam Singh was the quarter master havaldar of 1 Sikh, Kala was appointed his helper. Besides routine jobs, Kala’s work involved reading and writing documents on behalf of Karam. ‘Saab had never gone to school. He could barely write his own name, so I would help him make ration cards, condemnation boards, etc.,’ he says. Kala likes to recount an incident that brings out how fearless and forthright Karam Singh was. ‘In the early 60s, Karam Singh was in the Sikh Regimental Centre at Meerut. He was asked to buy sugar for the soldiers from a local mill and was doing that when someone brought to his notice that the sacks of sugar were being soaked in water to increase their weight. A furious Karam told the mill that he would not accept any wet sacks. The mill owner, who was a corrupt but well- connected man, had an argument with Karam. When Karam stuck to his stand the mill owner pushed him physically and threatened him saying he had connections in Delhi.
The hot-headed Karam had reached the end of his patience. He beat up the mill owner. The case was reported and since the mill owner had connections in high places, Karam was dismissed from service as punishment for manhandling a civilian.
Not one to take injustice lying down, Karam went to Delhi with his war medals and sought an interview with the President. It was granted. When he explained to the President what had transpired, he was immediately reinstated in service.
The jawans were thrilled with his victory. Karam had been proved a hero in their eyes once again. ‘Ek kahawat hai jee, karela—woh bhi neem chada,’ (A bitter gourd, that too one that grows on neem) chuckles Kala Singh, rubbing a hand over his white beard. ‘Ek toh pehle hi kadwa, upar se neem ke ped pe chad ke baitha hua. Aisa tha Karam Singh Saab. Ek toh sardar tha upar se uske pas award tha!’ (His fearlessness was compounded by his forthrightness. That was our Karam Singh Sahib—for one he was a sardar and then he had his awards!)
Karam Singh was born on 15 September 1915, while World War I was being fought. The son of Sardar Uttam Singh, a well-off farmer in Sehna village, near Sangrur in Punjab, Karam grew up tending to the fields and playing kabaddi with the boys. He never went to school and could not write much beyond his own name.
This did not stop him from rising in the forces; he became the quarter master havaldar of his battalion. He was sharp and intelligent, which made up for his lack of writing ability.
He was enrolled in the Army on 15 September 1941 and was sent to 1 Sikh, which was posted in the then North-East Frontier Agency. He was a good sportsman, excelling at high jump and pole vault, and was recognized in his company as a very brave man right from when he was a young soldier.
Much of his reputation came from the Military Medal that he won for his bravery during the Burma war in 1944. He thus became a hero for his battalion at a very young age. Most of the time while he was in the battalion, he stayed posted in Alpha Company, which was where he got both his gallantry awards. Karam Singh married Gurdial Kaur in the early 1950s. The couple had two children—a son and a daughter. The son studied till class 10 and then took to farming while the daughter got married.
Karam holds the distinction of being the first living soldier to wear a PVC on his chest.
Rama Raghoba Rane
Jammu and Kashmir
April 1948
Rama Raghoba Rane is on his stomach and crawling under a Stuart tank that is slowly making its way across a minefield. He is trying to do it at a pace that matches the speed of the tank that is moving above him. His leg, badly slashed fom exploding mortar,
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Karam Singh does not answer. His eyes are narrowed in concentration. He is watching the armed Pakistani soldiers advancing towards his outpost. There are just four men in his section and they have already been under intense shelling. All of them are bleeding from bullet as well as splintering rock hits from continuous artillery shelling by the enemy. He looks at the gun is in his hands but he knows there are too many of them for gunfire to be effective. Besides, he is running short of ammunition and since there is continuous shelling there is no way to get more from the main company position, which is far behind. The enemy soldiers have come closer. Karam Singh reaches into his backpack and, pulling out a grenade, bites the pin off with his teeth. Swinging his arm in a wide half-circle he flings it at them with the war cry of ‘Jo bole so nihal, sat Sri Akaal’. The physical strain of the muscle movement runs right down to his leg and he winces in pain, but he does not take his eyes off the arc of the grenade flying through the air.
It lands right in the path of the first row of advancing soldiers and a loud blast echoes through Richhmar Gali. Some of the men fall, screaming in pain; the others have lost their composure.
It is only then that Karam Singh turns to look at the tense, mud-stained faces of his tired and injured comrades and smiles. Jadon assi ithe jaan de dange tan saddi keemat wadh jaavegi,’ (If we die fighting, we will always be remembered) he says, his voice firm. ‘Sade piche bathere ne ladanwaale. Saari company sade piche hai.’ (There are many who will continue the fight after we die) With that, he rummages in his backpack for another grenade, removes the pin and tosses it at those of the enemy soldiers who are still advancing. Another deadly blast rents the air.
Lance Naik Karam Singh was commanding an Alpha Company outpost at Richhmar Gali when around 6 a. m. on 13 October 1948 his section came under a do-or-die attack from the Pakistanis. It was Id, and the Pakistanis had launched a desperate attack to win back the area they had lost to the Indian Army. Karam Singh and his men were completely outnumbered, but they refused to be cowed down by the enemy whose aim was to recapture Richhmar Gali, skirt Tithwal and move in to attack Srinagar. The enemy soldiers were coming in wave after wave in a bid to take over the outpost of A Company of 1 Sikh. It is to their credit that Karam Singh and his men managed to hold on to their post during two fierce attacks—the first of which came at 6 a. m. and the second followed at 9. 30 a. m.
The men of 1 Sikh still talk about how these two attacks could be beaten back only because of Karam Singh’s courage and will to fight till the end. He is believed to have stemmed the enemy advances almost singlehandedly and wiped out two sections with his perfectly aimed grenades. But after repulsing the second attack, the brave soldier was quick to realize that he would not be able to hold on for much longer. He and his men were heavily outnumbered at one to ten; three of them had already sustained serious injuries and they were also running out of ammunition. In the intense artillery shelling and mortar fire that was coming from the enemy there was no hope of ammunition being brought to them from the main company position either. He decided to rejoin the main company, but insisted on carrying along his two badly wounded comrades.
Without a thought for his own safety or injuries, he pulled out the two wounded men with the help of the fourth soldier, who was the only one left unharmed. Putting their lives on hold, the two of them dragged the injured men through the intense enemy shelling and managed to get them back to the main company bunkers.
Around 10 a. m., the enemy launched another attack, this time on the company position. Without a thought for his grievous injuries, Karam Singh went about fighting from the frontline trenches. He held on even when the enemy mortar fire and shelling managed to destroy almost every single bunker of the platoon. Moving from bunker to bunker, he implored his tired men to continue being brave; to fight like proud Khalsa warriors. He helped in getting the wounded out and encouraged the uninjured to fight back without fear. He did not let the morale of the soldiers sag though the day when the enemy launched one attack after another.
During one of these attacks, Karam Singh was injured yet again, but he kept his faith and, despite the depleting strength of the company, continued the fight. In the next attack that came around 1 p. m., Karam Singh immortalized himself in the war records of his paltan (unit) by another exemplary act of bravery.
Fifth Pakistani attack, 1 p. m.
The Pakistani soldiers have launched a fifth attack. There has been no respite since 6 a. m. and the tiredness as well as the strain of his injury is bogging Karam Singh down. He grits his teeth to bear the pain and trains his gun on the enemy soldiers moving forward through the grenade smoke. He finds that two of them have sprinted the final few yards and are now right in front of his trench, brandishing their rifles. They are too close to be shot without hurting his own men. Without hesitating for a second, Karam Singh fixes the bayonet on to his rifle and leaps out of the trench. Lifting the bayonet in the air with a bloodcurdling war cry, he shoves it right inside the chest of the Pakistani soldier in front of him. Before the shocked man can realize what has happened, the hefty Sikh has struck again. ‘Ghonp nikal, ghonp nikal’, Karam Singh mumbles under his breath, remembering the drill taught to him by his ustad (instructor), at the centre.
The enemy soldier lies dead before him, horror writ large in his open eyes. Pulling the bayonet out of his body, Karam Singh pulls it back as far as his arms can go and in a split second brings it forward again with force, pushing it into the stomach of the next man, who is trying to shoot. A fountain of red springs forth as the lethal blade cuts into the man’s skin and intestines, making him double up and collapse in pain and terror. Karam Singh pulls his bayonet out, and lifting his arm right over his head, pushes it into the fallen man once again relieving him of all pain forever. He jumps back into the trench before his comrades can even fathom what has happened.
Shocked by this savage attack and the coldblooded killings by the hefty Sikh warrior, the enemy soldiers retreat one more time. They do not give up though and keep returning despite being beaten back each time by the strong defence put up by the company. It is 7 p. m. when the enemy’s will is finally broken and they give up. By then, they have launched eight attacks on Karam Singh’s company, all of which had been repulsed by the Sikhs. They have fired 3, 000 shells, which have taken a heavy toll and destroyed almost all the A Company bunkers but have not been able to break the spirit of the men. 1 Sikh lose 10 men and have 37 wounded during the battle, which is later described by division commander Major General K. S. Thimayya, DSO as a ‘uniquely magnificent fight’. Lance Naik Karam Singh MM is awarded the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) for his devotion to duty and bravery beyond comparison. He is the first soldier to receive it live.
Not only did Karam Singh survive his injuries; he even marched up to India’s first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad, to receive his PVC.
This was his second gallantry award. He had been awarded the Military Medal for his bravery in Burma while he was fighting under the British. He was among the five persons chosen by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to hoist the National Flag on 15 August 1947. He lived on to 77 years of age, rose to the rank of Honorary Captain in his beloved battalion and died peacefully at home in 1993.
Karam Singh is fondly remembered by his regiment as the war hero who not only inspired his men to fight and kill, but also helped them retain their confidence despite being grossly outnumbered in the battle of Richhmar Gali.
Most of what I learnt about Karam came from Subedar Kala Singh, retired soldier from 1 Sikh, who was Lance Nayak Karam Singh’s sahayak many years back. I took a train, then a 45-km ride out of Bathinda in an Army gypsy, to visit him in his brick-lined house in Chehalanwali village.
The interview was accompanied by Kala Sahab’s warm Punjab hospitality, which included endless glasses of sour lassi, rotis served with ghee and pickle, and a photo session with the entire family, which included the family goat and tractor.
Old man Kala has a twinkle in his eye when he talks of Karam Singh Saab. He served with the ‘48 war hero and has many memories he is keen to share. ‘We all knew Saab had got a Military Medal in Burma when he was a young soldier. Though he did not talk about it all that much, he would often tell us of episodes from the battle of Richhmar Gali, when he almost singlehandedly foiled Pakistanis bid to take over Company Post. He was a man with guts,’ says Kala. ‘He could fight not just in war but also in peace. When he felt something was not right, he would never hesitate to say it.’
When Karam Singh was the quarter master havaldar of 1 Sikh, Kala was appointed his helper. Besides routine jobs, Kala’s work involved reading and writing documents on behalf of Karam. ‘Saab had never gone to school. He could barely write his own name, so I would help him make ration cards, condemnation boards, etc.,’ he says. Kala likes to recount an incident that brings out how fearless and forthright Karam Singh was. ‘In the early 60s, Karam Singh was in the Sikh Regimental Centre at Meerut. He was asked to buy sugar for the soldiers from a local mill and was doing that when someone brought to his notice that the sacks of sugar were being soaked in water to increase their weight. A furious Karam told the mill that he would not accept any wet sacks. The mill owner, who was a corrupt but well- connected man, had an argument with Karam. When Karam stuck to his stand the mill owner pushed him physically and threatened him saying he had connections in Delhi.
The hot-headed Karam had reached the end of his patience. He beat up the mill owner. The case was reported and since the mill owner had connections in high places, Karam was dismissed from service as punishment for manhandling a civilian.
Not one to take injustice lying down, Karam went to Delhi with his war medals and sought an interview with the President. It was granted. When he explained to the President what had transpired, he was immediately reinstated in service.
The jawans were thrilled with his victory. Karam had been proved a hero in their eyes once again. ‘Ek kahawat hai jee, karela—woh bhi neem chada,’ (A bitter gourd, that too one that grows on neem) chuckles Kala Singh, rubbing a hand over his white beard. ‘Ek toh pehle hi kadwa, upar se neem ke ped pe chad ke baitha hua. Aisa tha Karam Singh Saab. Ek toh sardar tha upar se uske pas award tha!’ (His fearlessness was compounded by his forthrightness. That was our Karam Singh Sahib—for one he was a sardar and then he had his awards!)
Karam Singh was born on 15 September 1915, while World War I was being fought. The son of Sardar Uttam Singh, a well-off farmer in Sehna village, near Sangrur in Punjab, Karam grew up tending to the fields and playing kabaddi with the boys. He never went to school and could not write much beyond his own name.
This did not stop him from rising in the forces; he became the quarter master havaldar of his battalion. He was sharp and intelligent, which made up for his lack of writing ability.
He was enrolled in the Army on 15 September 1941 and was sent to 1 Sikh, which was posted in the then North-East Frontier Agency. He was a good sportsman, excelling at high jump and pole vault, and was recognized in his company as a very brave man right from when he was a young soldier.
Much of his reputation came from the Military Medal that he won for his bravery during the Burma war in 1944. He thus became a hero for his battalion at a very young age. Most of the time while he was in the battalion, he stayed posted in Alpha Company, which was where he got both his gallantry awards. Karam Singh married Gurdial Kaur in the early 1950s. The couple had two children—a son and a daughter. The son studied till class 10 and then took to farming while the daughter got married.
Karam holds the distinction of being the first living soldier to wear a PVC on his chest.
Rama Raghoba Rane
Jammu and Kashmir
April 1948
Rama Raghoba Rane is on his stomach and crawling under a Stuart tank that is slowly making its way across a minefield. He is trying to do it at a pace that matches the speed of the tank that is moving above him. His leg, badly slashed fom exploding mortar,
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