PVC STORY - MAJ SOM NATH SHARMA

THE INDO-PAK WAR OF 1 9 4 7 -4 8

"THE BRAVE PARAM VEER CHAKRA STORIES"  

 E BOOK by   RACHNA BISHT RAWAT

  

 Soon after Independence and the painful partition of British India, India and Pakistan fought their first war over the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. In June 1947, when Partition was announced, the 600 princely states that existed then were given the choice to accede to either India or Pakistan, or remain independent.
Most rulers agreed to merge with the country closer to them, while a few chose to remain independent. Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu and Kashmir decided to avoid accession to either country. He preferred to enter into a Standstill Arrangement, which guaranteed that existing administrative arrangements would continue to be honoured until a new agreement was made.

 An appeal was made to both countries to not arm twist the state into taking a quick decision but to allow a people’s verdict. Pakistan (which felt that since a majority of Kashmir’s population was Muslim, it should be a part of Pakistan) signed the agreement but was not ready to wait.

 In a crafty bid to take over Jammu and Kashmir, it started infiltrating the hill state just a few months after Independence, with a force of Pathan tribesmen, ex-soldiers and deserters from the state forces intermingled with Pakistan Army regulars. The men were well supplied with rations, arms, vehicles and medical supplies and promised extensive looting. In October 1947, the raiders started attacking the border villages and creating a deadly atmosphere of plunder, loot and rape. They did not distinguish between Hindus and Muslims; they picked up women, took them back forcibly with them, and left hundreds dead in the villages they went through.

 Initially, the raiders were fought back by the state military. But realizing that the attacking lashkars were proving too strong for them, Maharaja Hari Singh requested India’s help. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru made a shrewd diplomatic move by offering help subject to Kashmir signing the Instrument of Accession to the Union of India. That was the only way the Indian Army could enter Jammu and Kashmir legally. After Maharaja Hari Singh signed the document, Indian troops were sent to defend Kashmir and drive out the raiders. India had to airlift troops and equipment to Srinagar. 

A bloody conflict resulted. The raiders were chased out of Kashmir to beyond Baramulla and Uri and these towns were captured back. Jhanger, Rajauri, Tithwal, Kargil were other places that were recaptured by the Indian forces. The Zoji La Pass was taken over with the use of tanks, which could not have been imagined at that height, and even Dras was won. Nehru finally asked the UN to intervene and after protracted negotiations a formal ceasefire was declared in January 1949. According to the terms of the ceasefire, Pakistan had to withdraw its forces, both regular and irregular, while allowing India to retain a minimum military strength in J&K to ensure the prevalence of peace, law and order.

  Pakistan took over about two-fifth of Kashmir while India wrested control of the rest of Kashmir, which included the most fertile and prosperous regions. Army units that participated in the action and fought bravely were awarded a total of 11 battle honours and one theatre honour. These included: Gurais, Kargil, Naushera, Srinagar, Punj, Tithwal, Rajouri and Zoji La. It is believed that both India and Pakistan lost about 1500 men each in the war. The Indian Army fought bravely and the list of gallantry awards ran long. For their supreme acts of bravery, cold courage and devotion to duty, five soldiers were decorated with the Param Vir Chakra, independent India’s highest gallantry award. Major Somnath Sharma, Naik Yadunath Singh and Company Havildar Major Piru Singh Shekhawat died fighting and were given the award posthumously, while Lance Naik Karam Singh and Second Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane lived to wear the medal on their chests.      

 Maj Somnath Sharma, PVC 

 Fifteen minutes early for my appointment with Lieutenant General (Retd) Surindra Nath Sharma, former engineer-in- chief of the Indian Army and younger brother of late Major Somnath Sharma, I settle down to wait in the lobby of his tastefully done up house in Defence Colony, New Delhi. The slim and remarkably fit 90-year-old Sherwoodian walks in almost immediately. He dazzles me with his memory, his firm grip on names and dates, his British accent, his delightful wit and his old-world courtesy that includes holding doors open and walking me down to my car when the interview is done. When he recounts tales of his brother’s bravery, there is pride in his voice; when he speaks about how the schoolboy Somi would march the kids in the neighbourhood up and down, he smiles nostalgically. And when he tells me about Somi’s infatuation with a very young girl when he last came to meet the family in Rawalpindi in 1947, he chuckles like a schoolboy, refusing outright to tell me more.

 ‘We don’t discuss ladies,’ he says gallantly. I am disarmed with his charm, but what impresses me most is the lucid manner in which he recounts the Battle of Badgam and makes Somnath Sharma and the ‘47 war with Pakistan come alive in front of my eyes.

 Badgam, Jammu and Kashmir

 3 November 1947

 Resting his plastered left arm on the edge of the trench, Maj Somnath Sharma raises his head and squints at the sun; it has moved west but there are still a few hours of daylight left. He has to move his company soon and if they make good time, they can be back at the Srinagar airfield by night. It has been a tense and gruelling morning, but now he is feeling quite relaxed.

 At first light that day, a fighting patrol comprising A and D Companies of 4 Kumaon (under Somi) and one company of 1 Para Kumaon (under Captain Ronald Wood) had been sent to Badgam after intelligence reports had warned that a 1000-strong lashkar of Pathans, led by Pakistan Army regulars, was heading towards Srinagar. Their aim, the reports had said, was to take over Srinagar airfield and thus handicap the Army by cutting off their supplies. The fighting patrol’s job had been to search for the raiders and engage them at Badgam, a small village three to four miles from the Srinagar airfield.

 Early morning, Sharma had reported that his company was positioned on a hillock west of the village and that they had dug trenches there. 1 Para Kumaon had established themselves southeast of the village and had reported that the village was quiet and peaceful. Sharma had also reported that the villagers had been going about their chores quietly though they looked scared. He has also noticed that some of them were clustered in a nala where they seemed to be taking shelter. Since Badgam appeared peaceful, 1 Para Kumaon was ordered to ‘circle east and search; and then return to the airfield after making contact with 1 Punjab’. They did so, and were back in Srinagar by 1 p. m. Since Badgam is quiet, Sharma is also ordered to start pulling his companies out. At 2 p. m. he reports that A Company, which had been ordered to circle to the west, had done so and was also on its way to the airfield. Somi plans to keep D Company in Badgam till late evening and then withdraw to the airfield. His decision is supported by Brig. L. P. Sen, DSO. The two know each other well from battles in the Arakan in 1944-45. The soldiers are just biding time since there are only a few hours to go.

 The general stops for a breather and a sip of the lemonade that has appeared by our sides and then shakes his head gravely. ‘The people Somi had  Pathans dressed as Kashmiri locals with weapons hidden under their loose mistaken for villagers in the nala were in fact chogas, ‘ he grimaces.

 The lashkar was arriving in Badgam in bits and pieces to conceal their movement and it was led by a Pakistani major, who was hatching a crafty plan even as he watched the soldiers of the Indian Army patrolling the village. He had asked his men to mix with the locals and wait for the rest of the Pathans, who were quietly making their way to Badgam after slowly trooping in through the gap between the ranges at Gulmarg. He planned to attack Badgam when they reached a count of around 1000 men and then advance to the Srinagar airfield. Pakistan’s plan was to attack the airfield, cut off the Army’s access and then takeover Jammu and Kashmir.

 ‘It was a great plan, ‘ the general acknowledges grudgingly. Around 2 p. m., well after A Company left Badgam, the villagers grouped in the nala began to disperse. While Sharma and his men thought they were returning to their homes, they were quietly positioning themselves around D Company. The Pakistani major had decided not to wait beyond afternoon and as soon as he had about 700 men, he launched his attack. Sharma and his company, consisting of about 90 men, were the only ones left to fight the raiders. They were outnumbered seven to one.

 Wrinkling his forehead in an effort to remember, Lt Gen Sharma says it was around 2. 30 p. m. that Somi and his men were taken by surprise when gunfire started coming at them from the village. Soon, they were receiving machine-gun fire as well. Somi reported to his brigade commander that his position was under attack. He added that he was apprehensive about returning fire in the direction of the village because he could hurt innocent people, including women and children. By then, the raiders had started coming up in large numbers from a depression in the west.

 ‘There were hundreds of them, and they started targeting Somi’s company with mortar and automatic fire,’ says Lt Gen Sharma. ‘Since the Pathans were not trained soldiers, every 100 men were commanded by a Viceroy’s Commissioned Officer (VCO) while every 10 men had a regular Pakistani Army soldier with them who inspired them to fight. ‘

 Lt Gen Sharma says he heard from soldiers of 4 Kumaon who returned alive from the battle how Somi encouraged his men to retaliate and, completely unmindful of his own safety, rushed from one trench to another urging them to fight back bravely. Such was the    grit and determination of the men that the first few attacks, which came from different directions, were successfully repulsed.

 The Pathans, however, drew strength from sheer numbers and began to increase the pressure. Soon they had surrounded D Company from three sides and started climbing up the hillock where the trenches were. They came in hordes, brandishing automatics and shouting Allah ho Akbar!’ Somi knew he was outnumbered. He called the brigade commander and asked for ammunition and reinforcements. He was told that 1 Punjab was being sent for their support but Somi realized they would take time to get there since they had to move in battle formation. He also understood how important it was to hold back the enemy till reinforcements could be sent to close the gap leading to Srinagar. If that was not done, the raiders could advance right up to the airfield and take over Srinagar. Somi decided to hold back tenaciously and urged his men to fight to the last. It is to their credit that they did, despite the fact that they were completely outnumbered and their. 303 rifles were no match for the enemy’s medium machine guns.

 ‘Somi knew his company would not be able to hold out for long but he did not let his men lose confidence. With complete disregard for his own safety, he rushed across the open ground in full view of the enemy and went about encouraging his men. When the heavy casualties started affecting the men manning the light machine guns, Somi himself went around, using his good hand—his left arm was in plaster—to fill magazines and hand these over to the light machine gunners. He would tell them when and where to fire. “Idhar maro, udhar maro,” he would say, and the battle raged for almost five hours,’ the general tells me. ‘That was precious time for the Indian Army, since the raiders were being delayed and they were getting time to plug the gaps as they built up strength with Indian Air Force planes flying in more troops.’

 Eventually, the men started running out of ammunition. When Somi informed brigade headquarters (HQ) about this, he was asked to pull back. He refused outright. ‘The enemy is only 50 yards from us. We are heavily outnumbered. We are under devastating fire. I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to the last man and the last round, ‘ was his last message to the HQ.

 Just a few minutes later, while he was crouched in a trench next to the Bren gunner, helping him load the gun, a mortar shell landed on the open ammunition box next to them. An eardrum-shattering blast rent the air. ‘It blew up Somi, his sahayak (an officer’s helper or man Friday who looks after his uniform and turnout), the machine gunner and a JCO, who was standing nearby, ‘ recounts Lt Gen Sharma, his voice gentle.

 For Somi, who had insisted upon leading his company to Kashmir despite having his arm in plaster, it was all over. But it is considered a credit to his leadership that the men under his command kept his word. The noncommissioned officers (NCOs) of the company decided to fight on, and they managed to hold back the raiders for another hour even after Somi had died. In fact, as the ammunition became desperately short, another hero emerged. Lt Gen Sharma talks with great respect about Lance Naik Balwant Singh of D Company, who took a brave initiative when most of the soldiers were left with just one round or two. ‘He asked them to collect whatever rounds were left with them and hand those over to him. He then loaded his gun with these two or three magazines and told the rest of the men to retreat while he held up the enemy. “There is no point in everybody dying,” he said. “I will hold them back for the few minutes you need to disappear into the fields.” ‘So he and three others stayed back to battle the raiders while the rest left the hillock from the back. Shooting the last of their rounds, these four bravehearts got out of their trenches and charged at the enemy. They were killed but they helped their comrades survive,’ recalls the general.

 Overall, the brave action of D Company resulted in the raiders being delayed by close to six hours by which time the Indian Army had managed to get into position and block the enemy advance to Srinagar airfield. As aircrafts continued to fly in with more and more soldiers, the airfield defence had become strong enough to stop any attack.

 On the morning of 5 November, Badgam was counterattacked by the Indian Army and captured. The bodies of 300 raiders were counted, which proved just how ruthless the fight had been. The retaliatory fire had been so harsh that the Pathans had not been able to pick up their dead. Since they were not trained soldiers, they were not used to losing men in such a big way. The big losses broke their resolve and they started pulling back. When the Army took over Badgam, they found the Pakistanis retreating. ‘When a man’s will is broken, he cannot fight, ‘ says Lt Gen Sharma. In the battle of Badgam, 4 Kumaon lost Maj Somnath Sharma, Subedar Prem Singh Mehta and 20 other ranks. Twentysix people were wounded in the operation. For his gallantry, tenacious defence and exemplary leadership that inspired his men to fight the enemy, in spite of being outnumbered seven to one, Maj Somnath Sharma was awarded the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) posthumously. It was the first PVC of independent India.

 We have come to the end of the interview and, as I switch off my Dictaphone, the general stands before a beautiful oil painting of his brother, which hangs on the wall. The late Maj Somnath Sharma of D Company, 4 Kumaon, is standing in his uniform, ribbons on his chest. He looks handsome and proud.

 Lt Gen Sharma turns away with a distant look in his eyes. ‘Somi died. He was not there to die, he was there to kill. A job had to be done. It was his job and he did it,’ he says. There is steel in his voice. Somi doesn’t answer. A half smile plays on his lips.

 Maj Somnath Sharma was born on 31 January 1923, in Jammu. His father, Amarnath Sharma, was a medical corps officer, who rose to the rank of major general. Of his two brothers, Surindra Nath, better known as Tindy in Army circles, went on to become the engineerin- chief. The youngest, Vishwa Nath, joined the armoured corps and went on to become the Chief of Army Staff in 1988. Of his two sisters, Kamla joined the Army as a doctor and married an Army officer, who also rose to the rank of Major General; the other, Manorama, also married a brigadier in the Army. When Tindy was four years old, his father was detailed to do a medical course in England and decided to take his wife along. Somi and Tindy, who were about one year apart, were put in Hampton Court Convent in Mussoorie. Though Somi was older, they were put in the same class and made a good team. The two remained boarders there, happy to be in the same dormitory.

 ‘We got kicked around by seniors, but Somi was my protector because he was tougher and bigger than me, ‘ remembers Tindy. ‘I was the brains behind the pair, I was very good at math, and he was more into outdoor stuff. Other than history and general knowledge, Somi was just not interested in studies.’ The deal between the brothers was that while Somi would protect Tindy from the bullies, Tindy would finish all the homework in the evening so that Somi could get up early and copy it. Both went on to study at Sherwood from where Somi, who always wanted to join the Army, applied for admission to the Prince of Wales’s Royal Indian Military College (now Rashtriya Indian Military College), Dehradun.

 After passing out in May 1941 he joined the Indian Military Academy (IMA) where he did exceptionally well. By then the war had started and IMA training was cut short. After about nine months of training, Somi became a commissioned officer in February 1942. He was just 19 when he joined the 8/19 Hyderabad Regiment, now 4 Kumaon, as a second lieutenant. He faced action in Arakan where one of the toughest battles of the Burma War was fought with the Japanese on the Arakan coast where three Indian battalions landed, along  with one battalion of British  commandos.

 That was where Somi saw a wounded  Kumaoni soldier sitting against a tree.  He asked the man to run but when he  replied that he was not be able to stand  up, the tough and battle-hardy Somi  carried the man on his back, right  through Japanese crossfire, laughing all  the way, and bringing him back to safety.  The two were not shot, possibly because  the Japanese respected raw courage.

 Returning to India as a major and the  adjutant of 4 Kumaon, Somi got busy in  internal security duties in various parts  of Punjab and helping the police and  civil authorities in controlling civil  disturbances in 1947. Many educational  institutions in Delhi still talk of his great  powers of organization in arranging  supplies of rations and safe movement of  people from one locality to another. He  was made in charge of a flying squad of  men with jeeps, who would assist the  police in controlling civil disturbances  in Delhi. His amicable but firm  command instilled confidence and  discipline in many difficult situations.

 The same was tested when hostilities  broke out in Kashmir in 1947, and India  decided to send her troops to save  Kashmir from the Pakistani raiders.  Though Somi’s left arm was in plaster  due to an old wrist-fracture suffered  doing gymnastics, he insisted on going  with his company. As he was so keen to  go, the commanding officer finally  agreed and ordered him to fly in and  command two companies of 4 Kumaon  tasked with the protection of Srinagar  airfield. There are some priceless black  and white pictures of him with his arm in  a cast, taken at Safdarjung Airport,  where he is grinning broadly, no doubt  happy with the thought of being with his  men in war.

 When Somi landed in Srinagar in late  October, the raiders were closing in on  Baramulla with Badgam on route. That  was where a bloody battle would be  fought and the brave young officer would  bring home the first Param Vir Chakra of  independent India.

 Somi’s life story is often quoted in  books and Army messes. It is a tale of  sheer courage and glory. The example  set by him is recounted with a lot of  respect and he is fondly remembered not  only by 4 Kumaon but the entire armed  forces. 

To ensure that young soldiers  continue to be inspired by his bravery,  the training ground at the Kumaon  Regimental Centre in Ranikhet has been  named Somnath Sharma Ground. A  beautiful red brick gateway called  Somnath Dwar leads to the perfectly  maintained parade ground, flanked by  the snow-capped Himalayas. The ground  has seen the sweat and toil of thousands  of young boys, new recruits of the  Kumaon Regiment and the Naga  Regiments, who take their first step as  young soldiers here.

  Sahayak: