18 November 1962 :- The legend of Param Vir Chakra Awardee Major Shaitan Singh and "The hero of Rezang La” in 1962 war

Major Shaitan Singh, the hero of 1962 Sino- India war, laid down his life in the service of nation while taking on a Chinese company in Chushul sector of Rezang La in Ladakh at 18,000 feet while leading the Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon Battalion of Kumaon Regiment on November 18, 1962.

 

 

Major Shaitan Singh was born on December 1, 1924, in Jodhpur, Rajasthan to a military family. He died in 1962 at the age of 37, protecting the country. Singh joined the Jodhpur State Forces as an officer in 1949.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1962, during the Sino-Indian War, the 'C' Company of the 13th Kumaon battalion, commanded by Maj Shaitan Singh, held a crucial position at Rezang La, a pass to the south-east of Chushul Valley in Ladakh (Jammu and Kashmir) at an altitude of a towering 5,000 metres. The area was defended by five platoons. However, the mountainous terrain isolated it from the rest of the battalion. They expected a Chinese attack on the Rezang La, which came on November 18, 1962.

 

 

The climate was unfavourable with a cold and biting wind, and unlike the Indian soldiers, the Chinese were loaded with heavy artillery. When Shaitan Singh asked for more help from his base, he was told that it is not possible to send more help and that he should return the vacant post. It was not acceptable for Singh to accept defeat. He and other Indian soldiers decided to fight till the last breath.

 

The Chinese advanced to attack the platoons. In the first batch of Chinese soldiers, there were 350. But within minutes, the Chinese lost most of their men, resulting in an unsuccessful frontal attack. Following this, the Chinese engaged in a rear attack with 400 troops. Major knew that now he will not be able to stop the enemy for any longer.

 

The information of Major Shaitan Singh's body was not available until three months after the war ended. When the snow started melting, the Red Cross Society and the Army started looking for them. When Major Shaitan Singh's body was found in the snow, he still held the gun. It was flown to Jodhpur and cremated with full military honours.

 

Major Shaitan Singh was conferred Param Vir Chakra, the highest wartime gallantry medal by the then President of India posthumously for his unfaltering courage and exemplary devotion to duty.