How Srinagar was saved from Pak raiders in 1947

ON October 26, 1947, the Union Government accepted the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India and agreed to send military help to halt the invasion of the state by Pakistani raiders. The raiders had captured Baramulla and were getting ready for their final assault on Srinagar, an hour or so away. The first battalion of the Sikh Regiment was deployed for internal security duties near Gurgaon. It was selected for the challenging task of spearheading the induction of troops into Kashmir. Lt Col Dewan Ranjit Rai, Commanding Officer (CO) of 1 Sikh, was called to the Army headquarters and briefed about the task of saving Srinagar.

On October 27, two infantry companies, C and D, under Capt Kamaljit Singh and Major Harwant Singh (Military Cross awardee), with a section of 3-inch mortars were flown to Srinagar in Dakotas. The rest of the battalion was to follow on October 28. There was a sigh of relief among the citizens of Srinagar when they saw troops arrive in the Valley. People of Srinagar had been barricading houses and streets for a last-ditch battle against the raiders.

Out of the small force of two infantry companies which landed on October 27, one platoon was deployed for the defence of the Srinagar airfield and another was sent to Sopore to guard that town. The rest of the personnel were rushed to Baramulla. Lt Col Rai decided that instead of allowing the enemy to come up to Srinagar, the battle should be taken well away from the strategic city. This force, which consisted of two rifle companies short of two platoons (approximately 150 men), took up a position on a hill overlooking Baramulla, which at that time was already with the raiders and was aflame.

On the morning of October 28, before any more troops could land in Srinagar, the raiders, numbering between 3,000 and 4,000, started their advance from Baramulla to Srinagar. Their advance was halted by our troops and a bloody battle followed. Unable to make any headway along the main road, they started fanning out with the aim of surrounding the small garrison and started occupying heights along the Baramulla-Srinagar road.

There was every possibility of the entire force being cut off, but in spite of the inherent danger, the troops held their ground till late in the afternoon, when it was decided to withdraw. Waiting for this opportunity, the enemy opened heavy fire and started coming down the hills to surround the force. Considering the number of the raiders and the open terrain, the force could easily have been cut off and captured, but the daredevil spirit of our jawans saved the day.

Lt Col Rai was killed in action during this fighting withdrawal and was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. With the CO’s death, Major Harwant Singh, being the seniormost officer present in the unit, took over as the officiating CO.

Lt Col Rai had given orders to the battalion to withdraw to the Shalateng spill channel, about 4 miles from Srinagar, and stop the raiders there. The battalion withdrew to Shalateng. By then, the remaining two companies had also landed and joined the battalion. The operational situation on the intervening night of October 28 and 29 was very fluid and critical. Considering that the battalion with its limited strength could easily be bypassed at the spill channel, Major Harwant Singh took the tactically sound but very risky decision to move the battalion back the same night itself from the Shalateng spill channel to an area near Pattan, almost half-way between Srinagar and Baramulla.

The troops had just finished digging in, when at about 6 am on October 29, the first few leading vehicles of the enemy convoy drove into the battalion ambush. Later that day, the enemy put in two determined attacks that were repulsed. The whole day of October 29 was wasted by the raiders trying to break through the 1 Sikh defence. This provided much-needed time for the buildup of our own troops in Srinagar, thus saving the city from falling into the enemy’s hands. The chance of capturing Srinagar, which was well within the grasp of the raiders, was lost. It was the gallantry and tactical acumen of 1 Sikh’s jawans and officers, who had fought in World War II, that made the difference. For its heroic action, Battle Honour ‘Srinagar’ was awarded to the battalion.

The then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, visited Srinagar on May 10, 1948, for the first time after Independence. He called the battalion the “The saviours of Kashmir”.

In his farewell address to the battalion when 1 Sikh left the Valley, General KS Thimayya had said, “It is with great sorrow that I bid farewell to your officers and men whom I have come to love and admire. The Kashmir valley will always sing your praises and echo the deeds of gallantry performed by you.”

To commemorate the historic flight of 1 Sikh to Srinagar and in recognition of the battalion’s role in free India’s first battle, the Army celebrates October 27 as Infantry Day.