Major Shaitan Singh, Param Vir Chakra

Five Platoon Posts at Rezang La

Rezang La sat at about 17,000 feet, cut off from the main defences of the Chushul sector. On 18 November 1962, Major Shaitan Singh's company of 13 Kumaon held it in five platoon positions.

Chinese forces opened with artillery, mortar and small arms fire, then attacked in successive waves. Shaitan Singh moved between the posts under fire to keep them fighting, and was seriously wounded while doing so.

The citation says he continued to lead until wounds to his arms and abdomen disabled him. His men tried to carry him out and came under heavy machine gun fire. He ordered them to leave him and save themselves.

A Differing Memorial Account

The National War Memorial's shorter account says he refused evacuation and kept urging his men on until he died. The notification of 26 January 1963 still listed him as missing.

Jodhpur to 13 Kumaon

The Ministry of Defence gallantry awards portal gives his home as Jodhpur, Rajasthan. The notification names The Kumaon Regiment and his service number, IC-6400.

A Ministry of Defence release records that Shaitan Singh and 113 soldiers were killed in the battle. His son, Narpat Singh Bhati, attended the rededication of the Rezang La memorial at Chushul that the release describes.

The citation

Major Shaitan Singh, was commanding a Company of an Infantry Battalion deployed at Razangala, in the Chushul Sector at a height of about 17,000 feet. The locality was isolated from the main defended Sector and consisted of 5 defended platoon positions. On 18th November, 1962, the Chinese forces subjected the Company position to heavy artillery, mortar and small arms fire and attacked in overwhelming strength and in several successive waves. Against heavy odds, our troops beat back successive waves of enemy attack. During the action, Major Shaitan Singh dominated the scene of operations and moved at great personal risk from one platoon post to another sustaining the morale of his hard pressed platoon posts. While doing so he was seriously wounded but continued to encourage and lead his men who, following his brave example, fought gallantly and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. For every man lost by us, the enemy lost 4 or 5. When Major Shaitan Singh fell disabled by wounds in his arms and abdomen, his men tried to evacuate him, but came under heavy machine gun fire. Major Shaitan Singh then ordered his men to leave him to his fate in order to save their lives.

Major Shaitan Singh's supreme courage, leadership and exemplary devotion to duty inspired his Company to fight gallantly almost to the last man.

Source: Gazette of India. Reproduced as printed, including any errors in the original.

Cover image: Krishna Chaitanya Velaga, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for this page. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Major_Shaitan_Singh_statue_at_Param_Yodha_Sthal_Delhi.jpg