LIEUTENANT COLONEL (BRIGADIER) SHER JUNG THAPA: HERO OF SKARDU

The war of 1947 between India & Pakistan during the partition orchestrated by the Britishers on the behest of Mohamed Ali Jinnah, saw many a soldiers & officers of the Indian Army display raw courage, devotion to duty and determination even in the face of all odds.  One such officer who has secured his name in the Glorious history of Indian Army is Brigadier Sher Jung Thapa, MVC.

            Brigadier Sher Jung Thapa was born on 18 June 1908, at Abbotabad in what is now Pakistan.  Born to a family of soldiers, he received his early education in Dharamshala.  As a hockey player, he was recognised and mentored by a British officer of the 1st Gorkha Rifles Regimental Centre, also located in Dharamshala.  Sher Jung Thapa got commissioned to the Jammu & Kashmir State Forces on 1st Sep 1932.  During the accession of the princely state of Jammu & Kashmir to India, Brigadier Sher Jung Thapa held the rank of Major in the 6th Infantry Battalion of Jammu & Kashmir State Forces stationed in Leh.  His Commanding Officer, Colonel Abdul Majid was based at Bunji in the Gilgit area.

            Owing to the developing unrest in the Gilgit area, Colonel Majid, on 30th Oct 1947 was summoned by Ghansara Singh, the Governor of Gilgit who was apprehensive of the loyalty of British officered Gilgit Scouts based in the area.  However, the officers of the Battalion under Colonel Majid mutinied under Captain Mirza Hassan Khan and joined the Gilgit Scouts.  The loyal soldiers of the Battalion were massacred and Governor Ghansara Singh along with Colonel Majid were taken prisoners.  The areas of Gilgit & Bunji having fallen into the hands of rebel forces, the attention of raiders was now directed to Skardu.  Skardu was the tehsil Headquarters of Ballistan and considered a key partition for the defence of Leh.

            Major Sher Jung Thapa having been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, was ordered to move to Skardu to take charge of the remaining elements of the 6th Infantry Battalion at the location.  Lieutenant Colonel Thapa along with 02 officers, 02 Junior Commissioned Officers & 75 Men reached Skardu on 02nd December on foot braving the heavy snowfall and harsh weather conditions. Meanwhile, the Pakistani commander at Gilgit had reorganised the Gilgit Scouts into three forces. Of these, the ‘Ibex Force’ of approximately 600 men under Major Ehsan Ali was tasked with capturing Skardu.  Colonel Thapa utilized the adverse weather conditions to his advantage & set out to plan the defence of Skardu. Colonel Thapa, as part of his plan had deployed two forward posts near the Tsari Pass thirty miles away.  The winter having set in, this was the only route to Skardu from Gilgit.  Captain Nek Alam with a Muslim platoon was located on the right bank of the Indus and a Sikh platoon under Captain Krishna Singh was on the left bank.  Communication between Skardu and Tsari was to be by runners. With two platoons having been moved ahead, Colonel Thapa was left with 40 Sikh and 21 Muslim troops at Skardu.

            All this time, Colonel Thapa had been constantly sending messages to Srinagar requesting for reinforcements. So it was on 10th of February 1948, much to the relief of the garrison that a column under Captain Parbat Singh having walked across the Glaciated stretches of Machoi, Matayan and Pindras (an approximate distance of 280kms) reached Skardu.  Meanwhile, on the night of 9th/10th February the invading troops of ‘Ibex Force’ attacked the left bank platoon at Tsari. Captain Krishan Singh was murdered and the few survivors taken as prisoners.  At the same time, the right bank platoon under Captain Nek Alam deserted and joined the invading troops.

            On 11th February, the garrison of Skardu was surrounded by the invaders and Muslim troops under Captain Nek Alam who had deserted their positions at Tsari.  The attack was repulsed by the defenders well entrenched & organised under the command of Colonel Thapa.  The raiders took out their anger on the town of Skardu, murdering, pillaging and raping before retreating in a disorganised manner. On 13th February, Skardu received another reinforcement column of 70 men under Captain Ajit Singh.  Having read the intent of the invaders, Colonel Thapa in an attempt to ensure security of the civilians of the town, moved everyone into the Skardu fort. The Skardu fort by virtue of its design and layout needed more men to hold the positions which Colonel Thapa was not having at that moment.  Utilizing the resources at his disposal to the best, Colonel Thapa organised seven picquets to hold the outer perimeter in an attempt to provide depth to the fort.  However, he could not hold a vantage point. Pt 8853 (a peak) along the west of the Fort, which was occupied by the raiders on the night of 14th/15th of February.

            From the mid of February to 16th of March, a number of attempts were made by the raiders, all of which were met with strong opposition by the defenders of Skardu.  On 17th of March, a relieving column (‘Biscuit column’) of a company plus strength under Brigadier Faqir Singh managed to reach Gol, 32 kms East of Skardu.  However, the raiders were aware of this movement and Colonel Thapa with no means to inform of the ambush being laid on the arriving column had to hold his defences, while the raiders successfully ambushed and defeated the column.  From 18th March to 10th April, the raiders made several attempts to break into the defences of the Fort, this time supported by machine guns & mortars from the peak of Point 8853.  However, the defenders stood firm under the able command of Colonel Thapa & repulsed each and every attack with determination.

            After April, till 14 August 1948 the garrison’s saga is one of sheer courage & determination.  The troops held on with almost no rations to spare and meals reduced to a chappati and a cup of tea a day at the same time repulsing every onslaught of the enemy with fortitude against all odds.  All attempts of reinforcements to Skardu having failed, the men in the garrison at Skardu under Colonel Thapa held on with their fate hanging by a thread yet undaunted they defeated attack after attack of the raiders until finally on 14th August 1948 under appalling conditions, the garrison under Colonel Thapa with four officers, one Junior Commissioned officer and 35 other ranks surrendered to the enemy. The raiders killed all non Muslims in the garrison, shot all officers and took Colonel Sher Jung Thapa & his orderly, Sepoy Kalyan Singh as prisoners.  It was a stroke of luck for Colonel Sher Jung Thapa, that orders for extending him all courtesies of war came from General Sir Douglas Gracey, the Commander in Chief of Pakistan Army, the same officer who back in 1924, while tenating the appointment of Adjutant of the 1st Gorkha Rifles Regimental Centre had recognized and mentored a young lad-Sher Jung Thapa after having faced him in a hockey match at Dharamshala. Colonel Sher Jung Thapa was repatriated to India after the ceasefire in 1949.  He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra and promoted to the rank of Brigadier.

Brigadier Sher Jung Thapa retired in 1961 and settled in his home town of Dharamshala till he breathed his last in August 1999.  The heroic stand at Skardu was made possible by one man alone, Lieutenant Colonel Sher Jung Thapa. It was in planning and conduct of the battle that he displayed his acumen as a tactician.  It was in his command of troops that he displayed leadership and of course it was his determination that saw the Skardu garrison holding ground and facing all odds to the last man.

Lt Col Akhil Dhawan

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