Fearless Tales: Extraordinary act of bravery in WWII earned Bilaspur sepoy the coveted Victoria Cross

An extraordinary act of bravery by Sepoy Bhandari Ram, a native of Bilaspur district, in the Second World War against the Japanese Army earned him the highest wartime medal of the British Raj, the Victoria Cross (VC). He was one of the 18 VC recipients of Indian origin in WWII.

The prestigious honour was approved on February 8,1945 by Queen Victoria and the Viceroy of India, Field Marshal Lord Wavell, presented it to Ram at the Red Fort in New Delhi on March 3 the same year.

Born on July 24, 1919 at Serva Geharwin village of Bilaspur district, Bhandari was the son of Meghlu Devi and Nihala Ram Nadda. He joined the British Indian Army as a sepoy in 1941 and was posted with the Baluch Regiment when he showed extraordinary bravery while fighting the Japanese troops in East Mayu in Myanmar’s Arakan Mountains in 1944.

Suresh Kumar Nadda, Ram’s son, recounting his father’s bravery, said that he had inspired many young boys to join the defence services with his mesmerising stories of war. Talking about the incident that earned him the VC, he said that on the night of November 22, 1944, Sepoy Ram was in the leading section of a platoon that was ordered to climb a sharp incline towards a Japanese bunker. Some 50 yards from the enemy line, they came under heavy machine gun fire.

He said that three men were wounded, including Sepoy Bhandari Ram. He received a burst of gunfire in his left shoulder and a wound in his leg. Undeterred, severely wounded by grenade splinters and bespattered with blood, Ram crawled up to within five yards of his objective and threw a grenade onto the enemy position — killing the enemy gunner and two other men — leading to the capture of the post.

There was another incident that General VK Singh (retd) narrated. He said, on returning from that operation, Major Osman narrated the story of Ram’s courage to his company commander and urged him to recommend Ram’sname to the government for the Victoria Cross. But instead, the company commander recommended Ram for the Indian Order of Merit, much to Major Osman’s chagrin. Osman then went to the brigade headquarters and narrated the entire incident to his seniors who wrote back to the company commander, strongly recommending Ram for the Victoria Cross. That’s how the war hero received the coveted medal.

After Independence, Ram was posted with the Dogra Regiment and fought the 1947 War against Pakistan, the 1962 War against China and the 1965 War against Pakistan. Ram retired as an Honorary Captain in 1969.

His son rued that the government was apathetic towards such war legends. Captain Ram died in 2002, leaving behind a legacy of heroism and dedication to his country. He is survived by his four sons and two daughters: Suresh, Ramesh, Joginder, Satish, and Raj Kumari and Krishana Devi.