The dauntless colonel (1919-1979)
Lt Col Hari Chand was born on 16 February 1919 in village Atwala in Punjab. He was commissioned into 8 Gorkha Rifles (GR) on 8 November 1942. His father, Shri Babu Ram had served in the army in the Middle East in World War 2. In 1947, Gilgit which was on lease to the Government of India was handed back to Jammu and Kashmir state. It passed into the hands of the raiders due to the treachery of British officers and Muslim soldiers of the state. Lt Col (later brigadier) Sher Jang Thapa proceeded to Skardu from Leh to ensure security of Skardu. Only 33 troops of state forces were left in Leh. One company of 2 Dogra under Major (later Lt Col) Prithi Singh was sent to Leh across Zoji La pass, reaching Leh on 8 March 1948. With the loss of Kargil on 10 May, the garrison had to depend on air supply. On 1 June 1948, one company of 2/4 GR was air lifted to Leh. It was realised that it was not feasible to rely on air for supplies due to commitments of the Air Force in other sectors and one company of 2/8 GR then located at Ferozepur was ordered to proceed to Leh via the Manali track. Hari Chand drove his column hard. The passes were closed with snow and the troops hacked their way through. They arrived at Leh on 5 July. A maintenance base was established on this route.
Five days later, the raiders crept forward and occupied the hills surrounding the Gorkha position. The local porters ran away. Confusion prevailed and the position became untenable. The Gorkhas fell back to Leh in two’s and three’s. By mid-July, the raiders had reached Tharu, about 13 kms from Leh. Skardu fell on 14 August 1948 and it was expected that enemy troops released from Skardu would rush to Leh. There was an urgent need for supplies and additional troops. Colonel Parab and one more company of 2/8 GR with ample supplies were flown to Leh by 31 August. Col Parab took charge of the garrison and was appointed military governor of Ladakh. The remaining troops of 2/8 GR went to Leh via Manali route and reached there on 18 September. It was known that the passes on the Manali route would be closed from November to May. Six hundred mules were employed to build up supplies by October. A guerrilla platoon of 35 selected Gorkha and State troops was organised in September under Hari Chand.
They could climb mountains where there were no tracks, had to withstand extreme temperatures and live on dry rations. He took one local guide with him. They started on the morning of 6 September and on the first night camped at a site three kilometres short of the Lasirmou pass. They huddled behind rocks to shield themselves against the piercing wind. They reached Nimu village three days later and learnt of the presence of enemy party with a 3.7 inches howitzer (gun) in village Basgo. Hari Chand located the site with the help of the son of the village headman and killed the six Pakistani soldiers. The howitzer, ammunition and ordnance dumps were destroyed before returning back to Leh on 15 September. The commander of the Pakistan forces in this sector just managed to escape. On 28 October, Hari Chand crossed Zanskar River and ambushed a supply convoy of 20 ponies, killing the escort of 20 raiders. Threat to Ladakh was over with the clearance of Kargil and Zoji La by end November.
Major Hari Chand was awarded Maha Vir Chakra for taking a handful of men in inhospitable terrain and destroying the enemy gun and dumps. This forced the enemy to call off the attack on Leh. In 1962, he was commanding officer of the battalion tasked to defend the Chushul airfield. Under his resolute leadership, the unit inflicted such heavy casualties on the enemy that the Chinese called off the attack and the airfield was safe. He passed away on 21 August 1979.