Stories of Glory
Stories of Glory
The story of Lt. Col. Dewan Ranjit Rai, MVC (Posthumous)
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| Photo Credits: Ministry of Defence, Government of India |
“War is a matter of vital importance to the state; a matter of life or death, the road either to survival or to ruin.” - Sun Tzu
The cloud of uncertainty
With the creation of independent India and Pakistan, there was a cloud of uncertainty looming over the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, whether it will accede to India or will it stay independent. The Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh decided to postpone the The Instrument of Accession with India and Pakistan. The situation was volatile and therefore the stage was set for Pakistan to initiate its diabolical plan, ‘The Tribal Invasion’ of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Diabolical Plan
The operation was codenamed as ‘Operation Gulmarg’, according to the plan, the Pathan tribe would enlist at least one Lashkar (Tribal army) of 1000 tribesmen. Each Lashkar was provided with a Major, a Captain and ten JCOs of the Pakistan Army, with Major being the actual commander of the Lashkar, acting as the adviser of the tribal Malik. The Captain would act as a staff officer, while the ten JCOs would be in-charge of a company or platoons of Lashkar. The Pakistani regulars would dress up as Pathans and the entire force was commanded by Maj Gen Akbar Khan of the Pakistan Army. The D-Day for Operation Gulmarg was set as 22 October 1947.
The broad outline of the plan was to advance units of Lashkars to the valley from Muzzafarabad to Srinagar via Domel, Uri and Baramulla, capturing the Srinagar airfield. Advancing through the Haji Pir Pass to Gulmarg, thereby securing the right flank of the Muzzafarabad movement. And moving other forces of Lashkar from different areas to Jammu.
The Rescue Op
With the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India on 26 October 1947, the Indian government had to respond quickly to save the state from falling into the hands of Lashkars who were ready to ransack, burn the valley.
In the Army HQ, Brig Kalwant Singh chose 1 Sikh under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Dewan Ranjit Rai, who was stationed near Gurgaon overlooking the administrative work, internal security and looking after the settlement of refugees coming from Pakistan in the Delhi area under the command of Lieutenant General Dudley Russell, GOC-in-C Delhi and Punjab area.
The call from the Army HQ would change Lt Col Rai’s life, he was appointed as India’s military attaché to Washington and he had to fly in a few weeks. But, it was call of duty for him in Srinagar.
The First Flight, 27 October 1947
The instructions given to Lt Col Rai were to secure the Srinagar aerodrome and the civil aviation wireless station and then, if possible, to secure the neighbourhood of Srinagar from the attack of Tribesmen and aid the local government until reinforcements arrive.
The troops accompanying him in the morning flight from Palam were:
Tactical Headquarters 1 Sikh
One company 1 Sikh
One composite company of Royal Indian Artillery (RIA)
The remainder of 1 Sikh would fly later during the day. The first flight took off at 0500 hours in Dakota aircrafts and landed at 0830 hours in Srinagar.
He was instructed to encircle the Srinagar airfield and scan the area in case if it’s occupied by the raiders. If so, then he has to fly back and land with his men at Jammu. With minimum information regarding the position of friendly troops to that date, there was a major risk involved in the operation.
The First Fight
Lt Col Rai’s initial assessment after landing in Srinagar was that the situation was very critical and immediate assistance had to be given to the two platoons of the state forces holding a high ground 5 km east of Baramulla, therefore he sent his sole company as reinforcement. At around 1200 hours, he signalled Delhi that “...Baramulla cannot be defended and the relief process has to be expedited.” By 1500 hours, Delhi received a message that Baramulla has been captured and is possibly burning in flames.
The Lashkars were busy ransacking, burning the town and Lt Col Rai had speculated a delay in the advance of Lashkars to Srinagar. He wasn’t confident about defending Srinagar unless 1 Sikh was up to full strength by the afternoon of 28 October.
The troops spent the night of 27/28 October guarding their defences, with no attack taking place at night, Lt Col Rai moved forward towards the trenches the next morning and planned to attack Baramulla by surprising the raiders. The ‘first fight’ broke out between the Lashkars and the Indian troops, thus holding them back to their position, but soon the enemy, in large numbers (approx. 4000 Tribesmen) figured that a small defensive position held by 1 Sikh can be outnumbered easily.
At around 1130 hours, the enemy position with mortars and machine guns attacked 1 Sikh, the fierce attack was repulsed, Lt Col Rai realised that retreating from the current position would be better than holding, he moved towards Pattan, almost 17 miles from Srinagar. This turned out to be a tactically sound decision as it confused the enemy about the number of Indian soldiers guarding the line towards Srinagar.While retreating and commanding his troops under a heavy attack, Lt Col Dewan Ranjit Rai and his platoon commander came under machine gun fire and he was hit by a bullet in the head and fell.
He was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra for his gallant action in the battlefield.
The Citation for the Maha Vir Chakra reads as follows:
Lieutenant Colonel Dewan Ranjit Rai was the Commanding Officer of 1 Sikh. Immediately on landing at Srinagar, on 27 October 1947, he appreciated that it was imperative to hold and oppose the raiders as far away as possible from the vital city of Srinagar and its adjacent airfield. As very little time was at his disposal, he personally conducted reconnaissance and operations at such personal risk that he was eventually killed. By his complete disregard of personal danger and his determined and inspired leadership, the raiders were stopped sufficiently far away to enable a build-up for the eventual decisive defeat. The officer gave his life in a successful endeavour to save Srinagar by displaying courage of the highest order.
Divyam Sharma
This is very well articulated!
ReplyDeleteWell written, Divyam!