‘Our soldiers are the ‘Suraksha Kawach’ of ‘Maa Bharti’ : Narendra Modi’
PM Modi celebrated Diwali on LOC in Nowshera Sector where Taingdhar bears PVC Yadunath Memorial Stone
The 50th Para Brigade was ordered somewhere in mid November 1947 to keep Naushera (part of the then Reasi District of Jammu Province) secure and establish a base at Jhangar in the Naushera Sector. It was around 6th December 1947 that 1/7 Rajput Regiment of which Naik Yadunath Singh was also a member reached Nowshera by road from Gurdaspur ( Punjab) to join 50th Para Brigade under very adverse weather conditions. By then even Bhimber ( around 27th Oct 1947), Rajouri ( around 10th Nov 1947) , Kotli ( mid November 1947) Mirpur ( around 25th Nov 1947) , etc had already fallen in the hands of raiders since the accession of erstwhile Princely state of J&K with either dominion was delayed and ‘Pakistan’ had already 22nd Oct. 1947 ‘openly; attacked J&K from Kashmir Valley side. But on 24 December 1947 even Jhangar ( a very strategic location for defence of Nowshera ) was captured by the Pakistanies giving them possible control over the route between Mirpur and Poonch town and also providing launch point for making multi point attacks on way to Poonch from Jammu via Rajouri which too was very much under the possible grip of intruders with some local civilians and ‘state’ troops also deserting to the enemy camp. So the Indian soldiers were deployed in small groups on possible enemy approaches and Taindhar ( on north of Nowshera ) was one such gentle approach from enemy side (but not that easy from Naushera side ) on highest of area dominating countryside. So, defence of Taindhar was critical, hardest and most immediate need for the defence of Naushera and hence Jammu to Poonch tracks..
The Indian Army initiated many operations in the north-west of Naushera to stop advances by the Pakistani forces till in the end of January1947 a picket was established at Taindhar by 1/7 Rajput where Naik Yadunath Singh was also part of the battalion. The troops were small, did not have adequate supplies of fresh food and as per some quotes were even without a machine gun with the assigned requiring very hard personal inputs like even preparing defences just with bare stones which could even cause damage to self by shattering into small pieces on getting hit with enemy artillery fire. It was on the foggy morning ( 06:40 am or so ) of 6 February 1948 that taking advantage of darkness Pakistan troops in large numbers crept along Taindhar ridge up to the pickets where Naik Yadunath Singh was in command with just nine personnel manning the forward post of the second picket at Taindhar and though in very small numbers warded off three massive Pakistani attacks for capture their position. But the courage and sense of sacrifice that had been shown by Naik Yadunath Singh shattered the courage of Pakistanies with thousands at their back and the enemy fled in disorder never to return. Late Col Kishan Singh Rathore MVC who was then 2nd Lieutenant – a Company Commander and Yadunath Singh was part of his troops was also awarded the Mahavir Chakra in the same battle has been quoted as having said < ” I could see Yadunath Singh shouting expletives at the enemy and hurling grenades at them. At this time Brig Usman called me and asked if I wanted artillery fire. I declined, as we were so mixed up with the enemy that the artillery fire would have caused more damage to my troops. We beat back the first attack with heavy casualties to the enemy, but within minutes the second wave of the enemy came rushing towards us and this too we beat back. By now, our own casualties were mounting. Amongst the wounded was Naik Yadunath Singh who, in spite of his wounds, was rallying his men and firing a Bren gun. We beat back the second attack too. But the enemy was not done yet and some of them were even able to get in between the gaps in our defences. This time I had no choice but to ask Havaldar Ishar Singh, the mortar detachment commander to fire the mortars overhead and bring down fire on our own locality. It was then that Naik Yadunath Singh, along with his men came out of their bunkers with bayonets fixed and charged the enemy, engaging him in hand to hand combat…” >. Naushera and hence the route to Poonch was saved only with the most heroic charge of NK Yadunath Singh for which he was awarded posthumous the Param Vir Chakra. Naik’s action had proved a very yielding moment in most critical times for the battle of Naushera and had enabled Brigadier Usman to send a company of the 3rd (Para) Battalion, Rajput Regiment to reinforce the Taindhar. And Janghar was recaptured on 17 Mar 1948 with a 2 Brigade attack..
Ofcourse saving Naushera cleared the way for advance of forces towards Rajouri and Maj ( then 2nd Lt ) Rama Raghoba Rane (an officer commissioned in the Bombay Sappers Regiment of the Indian Army’s Corps of Engineers just on 15 December 1947 ) who became the first living recipient of the Param Vir Chakra on 8 April 1948 for his playing a key role in the recapture of Rajouri by clearing several roadblocks and minefields even moving/ crawling ahead of tanks.
Tales of valour and sacrifices made by Indian soldiers for saving people and lands of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947-48 are unending but we cannot find a single descendant of even the 1947-48 PVC decorated soldier staying in a self owned house in Jammu and Kashmir even after 5th August 2019. Why not come forward to make government of the day extend gratitudes like naming new Jammu Airport as PVC NK Yadunath Singh International Airport as also Srinagar Airport after PVC Maj Som Nath Sharma and also open doors atleast of Domicileship for their descendants even through constitutional / administrative provisions like using Section-96 / Sec-103 of Act 34 of 2019 / Art-309 of Constitution of India.
There can be no better start for naming Public Structures after Martyrs than starting with PVC Major Som Nath Srinagar Airport & PVC NK Yadunath Jammu airport.
(Daya Sagar, is a senior journalist and analyst of J&K Affairs , can be reached at dayasagr45@yahoo.com).