Only 23 years of age, playful, the usual fun-loving Sikh , his boyish looks concealing the steely soldier who will never shy away from an unequal fight. Meet Gurtej Singh of 3rd Punjab’s ‘Ghatak Platoon’ who reinforced the beleaguered , outmaneuvered fighters of 16th Bihar regiment at Galwan valley on the evening of 15 June. But first take a ticket to heaven, where rests ‘chota phai Gurtej’ , blessed by the Almighty. He is not here with his paltan anymore and will not return to his family for his favourite ‘sarson da saag’ and ‘makkai di roti’. Honestly , it is very difficult for an emotional Bengali like me , also a military school product, to hold back tears as I write the amazing story of ‘chotaphai Gurtej’. As the fierce 3rd ‘Ghataks’ and the Sikh gunners of Medium Arty regiment rushed into the fight with very little time to plan and prepare on that Monday evening in the picturesque but blooded Galwan Valley , they were only carrying thei
Only 23 years of age, playful, the usual fun-loving Sikh , his boyish looks concealing the steely soldier who will never shy away from an unequal fight.
Meet Gurtej Singh of 3rd Punjab’s ‘Ghatak Platoon’ who reinforced the beleaguered , outmaneuvered fighters of 16th Bihar regiment at Galwan valley on the evening of 15 June. But first take a ticket to heaven, where rests ‘chota phai Gurtej’ , blessed by the Almighty.
He is not here with his paltan anymore and will not return to his family for his favourite ‘sarson da saag’ and ‘makkai di roti’.
Honestly , it is very difficult for an emotional Bengali like me , also a military school product, to hold back tears as I write the amazing story of ‘chotaphai Gurtej’.
As the fierce 3rd ‘Ghataks’ and the Sikh gunners of Medium Arty regiment rushed into the fight with very little time to plan and prepare on that Monday evening in the picturesque but blooded Galwan Valley , they were only carrying their customary kirpan and an assortments of sticks, rods and sharp knives.
Fellow fighters recall Gurtej being attacked by four Chinese soldiers. The strong Sikh, shouting his ‘Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal’ war cries in a thunderous roar, swung round two of them and as two others tried to pin him down, he dragged all four of them towards the cliff.
“All four Chinese were flung to death but Gurtej lost his balance and also slipped , but was stuck in a boulder , hence avoiding a free fall. Badly injured in the neck and head, Gurtej rewrapped his turban and in a inhuman effort pulled himself back into the fight,” said a military source quoting a fellow fighter.
Gurtej slashed some Chinese with his kirpan before he could snatch a sharp weapon from a Chinese soldier.
“Not only that one but seven other Chinese soldiers perished at the hands of Gurtej before one stabbed him from behind. Even as he went down , he slashed his killer with his kirpan,” said the military source.
At the end of the bloody fight, Gurtej lay dead but so were the 12 Chinese killed by them. As they say, ‘Ik Ik Akali Sikh sawa lakh de barabar” ( an Akali Sikh is as good as 1,25,000)
Gurtej’s body was dragged back by the surviving ‘Ghataks’. I have no access to his village to recount his cremation but knowing Sikhs so well from my childhood in Punjab, I am sure his proud parents will have tears in their eyes for him — but more tears of pride than tears of sorrow.
Gurtej Singh , the latest martyr or ‘Shaheed’ in an enormously crowded pantheon of Sikh heroes starting from Banda Bahadur , is a hero India is yet to know but will never forget once it did .
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LETTER OF ALLOTMENT TO SMt B Santoshi w/o Late Martyr Col B Santosh Babu
