The warrior is dead, but his ‘spirit’ sustains others
16.47 IST 07th Nov 2002
By IndiaExpress Bureau
Believe it or not, an Indian Army rifleman has been promoted as 'major general' forty years after his death!
Many believe that he continues to command troops doing duty at the dizzy heights of the country’s frontiers with China.
Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat of the Fourth Garhwal Rifles infantry regiment is the only soldier in the history of the Indian Army to have risen through the ranks after his death!
Rawat refused to leave his post located at an altitude of about 10,000 feet. The valiant soldier held off Chinese troops for three days single-handedly before being felled by an enemy bullet in the war with China in 1962.
It’s true the rifleman is no more, but his valorous deed continues to be remembered.
The soldier got a promotion at regular intervals, and today he is a major general.
The post that he refused to vacate has been renamed Jaswant Garh in recognition of his courage.
His heroics have ensured for him a distinct place among all ranks of the Army manning the unfenced 1,030 km Sino-Indian border. Many regard him as a guardian angel protecting the frontiers.
The battle site has been converted into a Hindu temple, and Rawat accorded the status of a saint.
"Army personnel passing by this route, be it a general or an ordinary soldier, make it a point to pay their respects at the shrine of Jaswant Singh or else they invoke his curse," said soldier Ram Narayan Singh.
"A major general once refused to pray at his shrine while crossing the area, saying this was just a superstition, but he met with a mysterious road accident a few kilometers away from here and died," he added.
The Garhwal Rifles are today deployed on India's western borders, but the unit makes it a point to keep at least half-a-dozen personnel here to take care of Rawat as if he were alive.
"For us he is immortal and continues to protect and bless us in this treacherous mountain terrain," said a Garhwal Rifles soldier posted at Rawat's shrine.
An orderly cooks for him daily, makes his bed, irons his clothes and polishes his boots, while guards patrol his shrine around the clock.
"Each morning his bed is found crumpled and his freshly ironed clothes lie crushed on the floor," another soldier said. "He is here all the time although we cannot see him."
"The respect that Rawat commands even after his death is something very rare in the Indian Army," Major Jaideep Ghosh said. "I have never seen anything like this before anywhere of a martyred soldier still influencing the lives of the troops."
Reports have it that after killing him the Chinese troops beheaded Rawat carried his torso as a trophy.
After the ceasefire, the Chinese commander, impressed by Rawat's bravery, returned the head along with a brass bust of the gallant soldier. The bust now adorns the battle site.
"A nation that does not honor its dead warriors will perish," an Army commander remarked as soldiers lit earthen lamps at nightfall to keep Rawat's memories alive.
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