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Guwahati, Jul 26: Pakistan should never be trusted again after what it did in 1999, which resulted in the Kargil War, said Kargil war hero, Col (Retd) Dilip Kumar Bora, who commanded the 16 Grenadiers in the war. He also said that in the war, the Indian Army showed immense courage and personal safety was the last thing in the minds of the Army personnel, who just wanted to teach Pakistan a lesson.
In an interview with The Assam Tribune on the eve of Kargil Vijay Diwas, the Kargil war hero described his experience of the war and said that no person, who participated in such a battle, can ever forget the events.
Excerpts from the interview:
The Assam Tribune:
What do you think of the war when you look back?
Col Bora: I believe no Army in the world apart from the Indian Army could have recaptured the posts located at great heights and when the enemy is firing from the top. More than 540 Army men, mostly young officers and jawans were killed and over 1,300 received injuries. But personal safety was the last thing in the minds of every one of us. We all just wanted to teach Pakistan a lesson. We also learnt that we should never trust Pakistan again.
AT: Did you have a brush with death in the war?
Col Bora: As the Pakistanis were shelling our locations, anyone could have died. My closest brush with death was when a shell landed on my bunker but fortunately, my jawans dragged me out and I was unhurt. But I must tell you that involvement in the war was once in a life- time experience for me and I believe that every person who fought that battle cannot forget it in his lifetime.
AT: How did you get involved in the war as we heard that you were posted in Shillong when the war broke out?
Col Bora: Yes, I was posted in Shillong. But suddenly I got a message that I had to proceed to Drass immediately to take command of the 16 Grenadiers. At that point, the Pakistanis were shelling the Leh-Srinagar Highway and it was not possible to travel during daytime. Even at night, we had to drive by switching off the headlights of the vehicles. When I went there and took charge of the 16 Grenadiers, shelling was going on in our bunkers and highway. The Tololing peak was one of the most advantageous positions for the Pakistanis as from that peak they could see our locations. The 18 Grenadiers tried twice to recapture Tololing but they failed. Later 2 Raj Rif captured the peak. Then Bofors guns and air support also came in and made our task comparatively easier.
AT: Tell me about some tales of bravery of the 16 Grenadiers.
Col Bora: There are several instances. In one particular attack, when we captured a Pakistani post along the Line of Control, we lost five brave soldiers and around 32 officers and men received injuries. Our team was also involved in supporting other units in capturing posts along the Line of Control and from there on we could see what was going on the other side.
AT: We heard that most Army personnel faced problems because of the heights, was it so?
Col Bora: Some units were already posted in those areas and they did not face issues. But troops who were sent from the plains did not get enough time to acclimatize as per the norms. I was 44 years old at that time. But a few years before the war, I was posted there. So I knew of the condition.
AT: Looking back at the war, do not you think India was caught off guard?
Col Bora: It is a fact. That is why I said we should never trust Pakistan. Since 1971, India had the same deployment in that area and it was a common practice for the Army to come down from the high posts during winter. But Pakistan took that chance and occupied the peaks. They never expected that the Indian response would be so hard and strong. For some time, Pakistan kept on saying that the posts were occupied by the Mujaheedins. But we later found ample proof that the Northern Light Infantry of Pakistan was involved. We received their paybooks, identity cards, etc. It is good that the deployment of Indian troops in that area has increased by more than 10 times now.
AT: Is it a fact that Pakistan refused to take back the bodies of their soldiers killed in the war?
Col Bora: Yes that is true, at least in the initial stages of the war. My company had around 15 per cent Muslim soldiers and they buried a good number of Pakistani soldiers by following the religious rituals. That also broke the morale of the Pakistani soldiers.
By
R Dutta Choudhury
