Captain Bana Singh is one of the three living recipients of the Param
Vir Chakra, the highest Indian bravery Award. He earned his award in
interview of bana singh
capturing the most strategic post on the Saltoro range near the
Siachen glacier in Ladakh.
Claude: Tell us about your origin, where are you born, when did you
join the Army?
BS: I am born in 1949 in Kadyal district of Jammu province. My father
was farmer though many of my uncles had joined the Army. My father
used to tell me that Army’s life is a very prestigious. He also wanted
me to join that Army because a farmer’s life is very harsh. I remember
when I was a kid, I used to be so happy each time I saw off-duty Army
officers or jawans visited our village.
C: What was your motivation to join the Army?
BS: I decided that I wanted to do something for my country. That is
why I joined the Army.
C: Why did you join the Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry (JAK LI)?
BS: Because it was the State force of Jammu and Kashmir, so being a
Kashmiri I naturally joined the J&K forces.
C: When were you posted first in Siachen glacier? BS: On April 20 1987
C: Did you practice mountain climbing before being posted in Siachen
at such a high altitude?
BS: I was trained at the High Altitude Warfare School in Gulmarg (in
Kashmir) and also at another school at Sonamarg. My battalion was
trained there. Though the altitude is not as high as in the Siachen
area, we learnt mountain warfare, how to climb, how to fight in the
snows, how to move on a glacier.
When I was in Gulmarg, there were three battalions: the 10 Dogras,
the 8 JAK LI and the 5 Guard. The mountain training is imparted to
formations from all over India, but more particularly to this Mountain
Brigade which was specially established by the Government of India to
look after the Siachen glacier. It is not only an opportunity for the
battalions to be trained, but also to acclimatize at relative high
altitude.
Then we moved to the base camp of the glacier which is located at
18,000 feet. It takes 7 days to be fully acclimatized, during this period
we move to the base camp for the day and come back the next day.
This is No 1 camp.
C: When you got posted on the Siachen in April 1987, was the Quaid
Post already occupied by the Pakistanis?
BS: Yes, they had occupied it earlier. Around that time, the Pakistanis
started firing on our patrols and helicopters from the post. My Commanding Officer (CO) decided with the Brigade Commander to
send a patrol to find out the position of the Pakistanis and how many
of them were manning the Post.
On May 29, a patrol of 8 JAK LI was sent for a reconnaissance of the
possible approaches to the Quaid Post. The patrol leader was Lt. Rajiv
Pande. He had 10 men with him. Unfortunately, they were sighted by
the Pakistanis commandos. Most of them, including Rajiv Pande were
killed.
C: Why this post was called the ‘Quaid’ Post
BS: This is the name of Mohamed Ali Jinnah, the father of Pakistan.
This is the most important and highest post in the area. From the top
you can see 80 km around. You can see the entire Saltoro range, all
the other posts like the Amar and Sonam Posts which can only be
supplied by choppers. If you control this post, you can prevent the
supply of these posts located on the Saltoro. That is why it had such
an importance for Pakistan (and why they call it after Jinnah).
My CO had therefore to prepare a secret plan to recapture the post
otherwise we would not be able to hold the other posts in the area.
C: How did the Pakistanis capture the Post?
BS: I do not know. It must have captured long ago. The Pakistanis
started occupying the glacier in 1984. When I arrived in 1987, it was
already occupied.
C: How many people were killed on May 29? BS: Lt Pande, a JCO and 8 jawans. Total 10 people [three survived].
C: What was then decided by your CO and the Army HQ in Delhi?
BS: [Before Lt Pande’s reconnaissance patrol], a very secret operation
had been planned. It could not be disclosed to anybody. We had to
find the different accesses and the one which would easier to get to
the Post. The first patrol was sent for this purpose. With this
information, my CO and the Army Commander were able to decide the
next step.
C: When was the second patrol was sent?
BS: It was not a patrol. It was troops for fighting purpose, to capture
the Post. It was in June.
C: How was the approach route to reach the Post at 21,000?
BS: There was a 90° climb on a distance of 1,500 km and ice walls. Lt
Pande had managed to fix ropes, but due to heavy snow fall, the rope
had got completely lost when the troops tried to reach the Post in
June. Ropes had to be fixed again.
In the meantime, to divert the attention of the Pakistanis, Indian
troops had been firing at the Post. There was no artillery fire, only
machine guns. It is only when the attack started that artillery was
used from the base camp.
C: Was artillery not dangerous for the climbing troops?
