Army revisits Capt Salaria’s bravery, urges UN to revise peacekeeping rules

Through a painting of the 1961 Congo clash, the Army has sent out a quiet yet powerful message — urging the United Nations to modernise its peacekeeping mandates in tune with today’s conflicts, while honouring Capt Gurbachan Singh Salaria’s ultimate sacrifice in defence of the fledgling nation.

Capt Salaria, hailing from Gurdaspur, Punjab, was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) for his gallantry. He not only saved the UN Force Headquarters in Congo, but also effectively isolated the rebels — the Katanga Gendarmerie — who were attempting to disrupt operations in the African nation.

Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi, while hosting a conclave (October 13-16) of countries contributing troops to UN peacekeeping missions, presented a painting each, on separate days, to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Military chiefs or their representatives from 32 troop-contributing countries attended the event.

India, the largest contributor of troops to UN peacekeeping missions, is seeking a broader operational mandate for such forces. The painting carried a strong message — that peacekeeping is a dangerous task, as rebels and non-state actors are often well-armed and operate outside international norms.

Jaishankar today said, “Troop-contributing countries as well as host states must be consulted while formulating mandates of peacekeeping missions.” Singh had echoed similar sentiments at the same event on October 14.

The painting depicted how Capt Salaria’s small team of about 16-18 troops was tasked with clearing a roadblock set up by secessionist Katanga gendarmes. They faced a superior enemy force of about 90 well-armed men supported by two armoured cars strategically placed to disrupt UN operations.

Commissioned into the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Gorkha Rifles in 1957, Capt Salaria launched a daring assault with his men. With the Gorkha war cry “Aayo Gorkhali!” (The Gorkhas are here!), they charged the enemy position, leading to fierce hand-to-hand combat.

Capt Salaria’s citation reads: “He led a charge with bayonets, khukuris and grenades, supported by a rocket launcher. Capt Salaria killed 40 of the enemy and knocked out two armoured cars.” His audacious action broke the resolve of the rebels, but he was fatally hit by automatic weapon fire.

Maj Gen Ian Cardozo (retd), in his 2003 book “Param Vir: Our Heroes in Battle”, wrote that Capt Salaria was born on November 29, 1935, in Janwal village near Shakargarh (now in Pakistan). His family moved to India during the Partition of 1947 and settled in Jangal village near Dinanagar in Gurdaspur district.

In the early 1960s, newly independent Congo was engulfed in a civil war after the secession of its mineral-rich Katanga province. With foreign commercial interests fuelling the unrest, the Congolese government appealed to the UN for help, leading to a peacekeeping mission being sanctioned in July 1960.