THREE BORDER INCIDENTS OF YORE
From the diary of an old soldier ..... when people like Lt Gen Bhagat were still alive ......and the modern breed of Gens was beginning to be born!
The recent brutal killing of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops on Indian soil, then the Indian government's protests and the Pakistani government's denials, etc etc has left me pondering and
reminiscing about the good old days.
I have had three postings in J&K, and I distinctly remember three incidents that took place
around NW Kashmir during my first posting at Uri in 1976-77:
Incident 1: A Maratha Light Infantry battalion was newly inducted in a sensitive sector. On the
very first night when the rear party of the previous battalion finally moved out and the main body
of Marathas moved in, Pakis fired 2" mortar shells on a Maratha forward post. (This has been
the usual way to welcome newly inducted Indian Army units by the Pakis for ages.) As soon as
day broke, a Major on the Maratha post climbed a tree with an RL (Rocket Launcher, for my
civilian friends) slung on one shoulder and two rockets slung on the other, and simply blasted
two bunkers of the Mujahid post across the LOC.
Thereafter, not one bullet was fired by the Pakis on the Maratha Paltan for as long
as they stayed there.
Incident 2: Pakis observed that Gorkha soldiers in their OP (Observation Post) just left
the LMG (Light Machine Gun) un-attended for 2 to 3 minutes while they went out of the OP
for a pee. One summer day at about 11 o' clock in the morning, in a daring raid, two Paki
soldiers sneaked in and ran back with the LMG.
Four hours later, which is normally siesta time and security is lax, a team of Gorkha soldiers
raided the Pak post and came back with the Paki CO's 15 years old daughter. (Pakistan
Army's officers-lot is privileged. They even stay on border posts with their families.)
The Gorkhas did not harm the child, they just made her sit on a chair on top of the OP
bunker. Soon enough, a bunch of Paki jawans came up to the LOC with a white flag and
the Gorkhas' LMG, and a neat and clean exchange took place.
Incident 3: This incident happened when Naga Regiment was newly raised in the
Indian Army and Pakis had no clue what material the Nagas were made of! (Those with
a weak stomach may please skip reading this incident further.)
The Nagas were also given the customary welcome on their induction,but they did not
retaliate. Then, for the next two consecutive nights, couple of Paki soldiers would cross
over to the Indian side, lob hand-grenades at the Naga post and run back. On the third
night, a few Naga soldiers laid an ambush and caught two Pakis. They brought the Paki
soldiers back enough to be hidden from the Paki OP sights. They tied the Pakis to a tree,
lit a fire and performed a traditional Naga dance! Then they chopped a leg off one of the
Paki soldiers and literally barbecued it over the fire. Both the Paki soldiers were let off
the next morning, but not before they were made to hear this dialogue between a Naga
Havildar and a Sepoy:
Sepoy: "Ustaad, inko rakhte hain, bilkul chicken jaisa taste hai."
Havildar: "Nahi re, inko jaane do, yeh dono bahut kamjor hain. Ab yahan 3 saal rehna
hai; tu tension mat le, aur bahut mote tagde milenge."
This news spread like wildfire, and the Pakis (Baluch Regiment) across the LOC were
thereafter not to be seen even through binoculars, till the Naga battalion was replaced
by another unit after 3 years.
Now-a-days, the only reason Pakistanis keeps blatantly bullying us Indians is because
we allow them to do so.
From the diary of an old soldier ..... when people like Lt Gen Bhagat were still alive ......and the modern breed of Gens was beginning to be born!
The recent brutal killing of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops on Indian soil, then the Indian government's protests and the Pakistani government's denials, etc etc has left me pondering and
reminiscing about the good old days.
I have had three postings in J&K, and I distinctly remember three incidents that took place
around NW Kashmir during my first posting at Uri in 1976-77:
Incident 1: A Maratha Light Infantry battalion was newly inducted in a sensitive sector. On the
very first night when the rear party of the previous battalion finally moved out and the main body
of Marathas moved in, Pakis fired 2" mortar shells on a Maratha forward post. (This has been
the usual way to welcome newly inducted Indian Army units by the Pakis for ages.) As soon as
day broke, a Major on the Maratha post climbed a tree with an RL (Rocket Launcher, for my
civilian friends) slung on one shoulder and two rockets slung on the other, and simply blasted
two bunkers of the Mujahid post across the LOC.
Thereafter, not one bullet was fired by the Pakis on the Maratha Paltan for as long
as they stayed there.
Incident 2: Pakis observed that Gorkha soldiers in their OP (Observation Post) just left
the LMG (Light Machine Gun) un-attended for 2 to 3 minutes while they went out of the OP
for a pee. One summer day at about 11 o' clock in the morning, in a daring raid, two Paki
soldiers sneaked in and ran back with the LMG.
Four hours later, which is normally siesta time and security is lax, a team of Gorkha soldiers
raided the Pak post and came back with the Paki CO's 15 years old daughter. (Pakistan
Army's officers-lot is privileged. They even stay on border posts with their families.)
The Gorkhas did not harm the child, they just made her sit on a chair on top of the OP
bunker. Soon enough, a bunch of Paki jawans came up to the LOC with a white flag and
the Gorkhas' LMG, and a neat and clean exchange took place.
Incident 3: This incident happened when Naga Regiment was newly raised in the
Indian Army and Pakis had no clue what material the Nagas were made of! (Those with
a weak stomach may please skip reading this incident further.)
The Nagas were also given the customary welcome on their induction,but they did not
retaliate. Then, for the next two consecutive nights, couple of Paki soldiers would cross
over to the Indian side, lob hand-grenades at the Naga post and run back. On the third
night, a few Naga soldiers laid an ambush and caught two Pakis. They brought the Paki
soldiers back enough to be hidden from the Paki OP sights. They tied the Pakis to a tree,
lit a fire and performed a traditional Naga dance! Then they chopped a leg off one of the
Paki soldiers and literally barbecued it over the fire. Both the Paki soldiers were let off
the next morning, but not before they were made to hear this dialogue between a Naga
Havildar and a Sepoy:
Sepoy: "Ustaad, inko rakhte hain, bilkul chicken jaisa taste hai."
Havildar: "Nahi re, inko jaane do, yeh dono bahut kamjor hain. Ab yahan 3 saal rehna
hai; tu tension mat le, aur bahut mote tagde milenge."
This news spread like wildfire, and the Pakis (Baluch Regiment) across the LOC were
thereafter not to be seen even through binoculars, till the Naga battalion was replaced
by another unit after 3 years.
Now-a-days, the only reason Pakistanis keeps blatantly bullying us Indians is because
we allow them to do so.
No comments:
Post a Comment