India-Pakistan border-VII

1983-84     

 (LINE OF CONTROL on India-Pakistan Border)

(This is a continuation to the conversation set between me (S.G) and my nanu (grandfather),a former brigadier, (Y.R).This initiative was taken so that people know about the incidents that have taken place in the army unfiltered by the media.RAW

LAL CHOWK

Friday,June 2020

Y.R-

    On the same afternoon, I moved to Udhampur Transit Camp by the Officers’ Bus, spent the night there & next day moved from there to Srinagar Transit Camp, again by another Officers’ Bus, by about 7.0 PM. After securing a room for myself for the night stay at the Transit Camp, I thought of visiting Srinagar City to buy some sweets & snacks for the PALTAN’s officers who were in Leepa Valley ( there was a practice in my PALTAN- as it is in most of the units of the Indian  Army serving in Field Areas- that any one returning to the unit from leave or from any other outing to a town/ city, had to bring sweets for all the officers. I hired a taxi, went to the city, bought sweets & some Kashmiri snacks from a reasonably good sweet shop, roamed around Lal Chowk for a while & returned to Transit Camp by dinner time. I then rang up, from the telephone of the Transit Camp, our INCHARGE REAR PARTY, asked him to send me the Jeep early morning next day so that I could reach the REAR AREA by lunch time. Next morning, the Jeep either HAVILDAR Ganapathy & one Jawan from the Protection Party, arrived by 6.0 AM. I enquired from them whether or not they had had their breakfast- they told me that they were carrying their Haversack Breakfast- & since I was ready to move, the three of us got into the Jeep & moved out for our REAR AREA, which was about 100 kms away. Around mid-way, we halted at a road side Tea Shop, had our breakfast ( they were carrying some extra breakfast for me too, which they did not tell me at the Transit Camp, before starting our journey. By lunch time, we reached our REAR AREA. 

At lunch, I met my boss in the Officers’ Mess, told him about completion of the paper work at Delhi for my Home Loan, gave him a box of sweets & some snacks out of what I had brought from Srinagar & informed him that I intended to go back to TUTMARI GALI PASS & Leepa Valley either on the same night or the next night, depending the weather / avalanch forecast.

Saturday,June 2020

Y.R-

    Knowing that I would be back in the REAR AREA by a certain date, Subedar Major C.C.Nair had already arrived there from Leepa Valley two days back & was waiting for my return. On reaching our REAR AREA, I was received by our INCHARGE AREA ( Captain N.K. Siag) & Subedar Major C.C.Nair- though I was surprised to see him there. 

Since I had been away for almost two weeks from my PALTAN &, therefore, was very keen to get back to my base, i.e. Leepa Valley. The weather forecast was favourable & I decided not to miss this opportunity, lest the forecast for the next night  became unfavourable. Sub Maj C. C. Nair, six Jawans of C.O.’s Protection  Party & I departed from there at about 5.0 PM for TUTMARI GALI PASS, beyond which lay the Valley, by two vehicles & reached our own Staging Post, called RADHA POST,  in the next one hour. We had created this Staging Post, which was just short of TUTMARI GALI PASS, for the convenience of & some rest for our officers & troops, who either went from the Valley to the REAR AREA while proceeding on leave or any other duty or returned to the Valley. There was a biggish Hut there in the shape of a dormitory/ barrack, made of local construction material, which could accommodate about 15-20 persons inside it. We rested there for a few hours, had our Haversack Dinner- which we had carried with us from the REAR AREA- & then proceeded for TUTMARI GALI at about mid-night. We crossed over the PASS by about 1.0 AM started our tough journey to KAIYAN BOWL, in the same manner as we had done when we had come out of the Valley a fortnight back; i.e. six Jawans leading the group, beating the track/ snow by their feet & thus making it easier for the others to walk on that track. Let me tell you, once again, that going down the snow covered mountain slopes is far more difficult than climbing the same for the simple reason that while descending such slopes, there are greater chances of slipping into the deep gorges/ Nullahs below. For this reason, normally all the walkers tie thick nylon ropes to their waists so that even is one or two persons slip on the snow, they are prevented from falling into the gorges.

After walking for about two hours, someone, who had been on that track many times during winter, suggested that, since we had already crossed the toughest part of our journey & now we were to travel only on gentle slopes, with no deep gorges in the vicinity, we could try some snow skiing, albeit without actual skies, by just rolling down the slope on our bottoms. I liked the idea & we then, while keeping ourselves tied to each other with the nylon rope, started Bottom Skiing. In the next 30 minutes or so, we reached quite close to our destination, undid the nylon rope, wiped the snow from our clothes & faces & rested for a few minutes so that we arrived at THE PALTAN’s Entry Gate looking fresh & not tired. It was physically checked that all of us were safe, had not suffered any injury/ sprain etc, & all the weapons, military equipment, ammunition & personal belongings were accounted for. 

There, hot tea & Pakoras had been laid out for us, which we enjoyed & then proceeded to our respective Bunkers for some well deserved rest.

MISSION

Y.R-

    I slept till lunch time , met the Adjutant, the Quartermaster & the Doctor at the Officers’ Mess at lunch & in the afternoon spoke to all the Company /POST Commanders on Field Telephones, enquired from each one of them about the well being of their  respective COMMANDS as well as their own personal well being & found that all was well in THE PALTAN. In the next week, I, accompanied by the Subedar Major & the Protection Party, visited  all the POSTS over 2-3 days, spent more than 2 hours at ATMA-1 POST & met everyone. After another week or so, I sent the Adjutant, the Quarter Master, the Doctor  & Pandit ji, in rotation, to all the POSTS over a period of 3 months. By then , the winter was almost coming to an end & we all started shedding our heavy woollens & snow clothing. However, in March 1984, two case of Bunkers catching fire, due to Back- fires by Bukharees, happened but, fortunately, there was no loss of either life or any item of equipment, clothing & weapons. ( the Back-firing happens when the wind speed is very high & some of the wind gets into the outlet of the Bukharees  thus forcing the fire, which keeps burning throughout the night, to come out from the INLET - the door- into the Bunker. This can cause burns to the persons or damage to the weapons & clothes.

Y.R-

    In the same month of March 1984, we had to send out a PATROL ( a Patrol is a small party of Jawans, comprising 4-5 to 15-20 all ranks, normally commanded/ led by an officer, which is sent out of the PALTAN for a period normally ranging between one week to 10-15 days for which period they are self- contained - they carry their own rations, extra batteries for their Radio Set etc.  on their own backs). This patrol of ours was comprising of one officer, one J.C.O. & 15 Jawans & was given a task that was expected to be completed in about a week. They had to go over very tough terrain, climb heights upto about 14000 feet, cross over the Range on which TUTMARI GALI PASS was located but keeping away from the GALI, go to our REAR AREA & return to unit via RADHA POST & TUTMARI GALI. They were carrying two Radio sets( one to be operated only when necessary & the second one as RESERVE. Similarly, they were carrying some batteries for both the Radio sets, in addition to their own weapons, ammunition & rations. Carriage of water was not necessary as the fresh snow could be used to make water.

Y.R-

    Although the Patrol had been given Radio sets for communicating with us, yet being in close proximity of Pakistanis who could possible intercept  our radio conversation; we had not given them a free hand to use them. We had fixed some secret codes/ code words, to convey absolutely necessary messages to each other. Also, we had fixed certain timings for opening of our Radio sets twice a day during which time we could communicate with each other through those fixed code words. 

Before the Patrol commenced its journey, all the personnel, weapons, ammunition, Radio sets, batteries, food items, other military equipment / clothings & their personal belongings were laid out on the ground, thoroughly checked & we all were satisfied that nothing had been forgotten. All the weapons & their ammunitions had been tested by actually firing them two days before that. After that all of us shouted BHARAT MATA KI JAI & our REGIMENTAL SLOGAN thrice & the Patrol commenced its mission.