Ranjit Singh — peacetime warrior from Kangra

Col Dilbag Dabas (Retd)

Ranjit Singh, son of Wazir Chand, was born on August 1, 1929, at Dheera  village in present day Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. Ranjit  attended the village school for just about five years and was enrolled in the 4th Battalion of the Dogra Regiment  on August 1, 1947.

The present day Nagaland was one of the seven districts of the greater  Assam after the Indian Dominion came into existence on August 15, 1947.  But, soon due to the indifference by the Assam as well as the Central  Government towards addressing the grievances  of these underdeveloped hill districts, the inhabitants, to show their  genuine anger for being alienated, became hostile and resorted to  anti-national activities. Insurgency, led by Angami Zapu Phizo, started  in Nagaland in 1956, seeking nothing short of secession  from the Indian Union, was the worst-case scenario in the entire  North-East. And the insurgency gained local support and spread fast.  Realising that the situation was getting out of control, or rather  almost out of control, the government of India promulgated  the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and deployed the Army to curb the  insurgency and help maintain law and order in Nagaland.

The 4th Dogra Battalion, veteran of many wars, the saviour of Naushera  in 1947-48 first war with Pakistan and the heroes of Battle of Walong  during the 1962 India-China war, was inducted early in 1961 in the  North-East to deal with the insurgency in the hill  district of Nagaland. After familiarising itself with the demography  and the tactics adopted by the Naga hostiles, the battalion got down to  conducting cordon and search operations. During one such operation, Naik  Ranjit Singh of the battalion, for his conspicuous  act of bravery and self-sacrifice, was deservedly awarded the Kirti  Chakra, posthumously. 

"In 1961, Naik Ranjit Singh was section commander in the B Company of 4th  Dogra Battalion tasked to apprehend or eliminate the hostiles operating  in  Tuensang region in the Naga Hills. On September 1, 1961, his platoon  was suddenly ambushed near Chingkhu by a group of almost 40 hostiles  armed with rifles and Light Machine Guns. The leading section commanded  by Naik Ranjit was pinned down by heavy automatic  fire, in which the platoon commander was seriously wounded. Naik Ranjit  immediately deployed his section on a dominating feature on the right  flank and opened fire on the hostiles. He himself manned the section  Light Machine Gun and effectively silenced the  hostile fire. His volley of fire forced the hostiles to abandon the  ambush in disorder.

It was again on September 19, when his section led the patrol from Satol  Post to Sakhai Post in Tuensang area, that the platoon was suddenly  ambushed in a thickly wooded area by more than 100 Naga hostile, who  attacked the patrol with all available weapons  from close range. In devastating fire from the hostiles, all but two  other ranks of the leading section of the platoon were dead. Naik Ranjit  was not the one to take this affront lying down. In complete disregard  for his personal safety, he counter-attacked  the group of hostiles firing his machine carbine and also hurling hand  grenades. His daring charge blunted the planned offensive by the  hostiles and saved the lives of his comrades and also prevented the  hostiles from collecting arms and ammunition of the  dead and the wounded. Being the lone fighter, he was vastly outnumbered  by the hostiles. In the cross-fire that ensued for nearly 10 minutes,  he was hit by a burst of hostile's automatic fire and the brave-heart  died instantaneously. Naik Ranjit thus set an  inspiring example for his comrades by displaying outstanding courage  and devotion to duty, a daring act of bravery, for which he was awarded  the Kirti Chakra, posthumously".

P.S. Among the seven states in north-east India, also referred to as the  'Seven Sisters', Armed Forces Special Powers Act continues to be in  force in Nagaland, Manipur and Assam.

(The writer is a veteran Gunner, 6 Field Regiment)