‘We were short of food, water but high on josh’

LUCKNOW: When it comes to taking on aggressors intruding into the Indian territory, harsh weather and shortage of food and water are no deterrents for bravehearts fighting for the country.


Recalling how Indian soldiers routed

Pakistani infiltrators

during Kargil War, Brigadier (retired) Amul Asthana who led the 1st battalion of the

11 Gorkha Rifles

which launched the final attack for the capture of Tekri Post on the Line of Control on July 26, 1999, said: “We were short of food and the water we had was contaminated with gunpowder. Our soldiers drank melted snow and fell ill but still they were high on ‘Josh’ (zeal) to make ‘

Operation Vijay

’ a success.”

Brig Asthana shared his experience of the Kargil War on Sunday during an online session organized by the Avadh Girls’ Degree College on the occasion 21st Kargil Vijay Diwas.

“On May 6, we were informed that 4-5 infiltrators have entered the Batalik mountain – a focal point in Kargil War because of its strategic location between Kargil and Leh. We walked nonstop for 9 hours and covered 7000ft to hunt down enemies. However, we found that they were not just 4-5 but 400-500 men firing on us from all the directions,” said Brig Asthana.

“The very moment we realized that it was not a small operation but a prolonged war. This was the time when young officers like Lieutenant Samiran Roy, Captain Manoj Pandey and Lt RS Rawat fought bravely for the country,” he said.

The battalion, led by Colonel Lalit Rai, fought valiantly and Captain Manoj Pandey sacrificed his life after destroying several enemy bunkers.

“‘Na chhodna’ (Don’t spare them) were the last words of

Captain Pandey

. We captured Khalubar but didn’t have an Indian flag to hoist. I kept a diary in my pocket with the Indian flag that was hoisted after capturing the post,” he said. “The war was on and we had little water and that too was contaminated with gunpowder. Soldiers drank melted ice and fell ill but fought and killed enemies. We surprised the enemy at point 5287 (17,600 feet) and the Gorkha soldiers killed them with ‘kukri’ (machete). A soldier immediately told me on radio that he has found a diary of a Pakistani army officer written in English and is dated. I asked him to open the page marked May 27. The message, ‘We have shot down an Indian MiG’, was written on it. I got to know it was a double victory for us as the infiltrators whom we killed had martyred our Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja by shooting down his MiG,” he recalled. He also showed a rare picture of celebration of Gorkha Soldiers at Point 5287 in which Indian soldiers were seen posing with stinger missiles they recovered from that place.

Talking to TOI, Brig Asthana said not just soldiers but even a retired armymen and soldier’s wife also helped them. “I somehow sent a message to my wife in Delhi that we need a magneto (military) telephone. Reacting swiftly, she went to Chandni Chowk and sent 14 phones to us. Wives of many soldiers also made their contributions during the Kargil War from wherever they were.”

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