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‘My good fortune': Rajnath Singh meets Army veteran who fought in battle of Rezang La
The defence minister showed his respect towards the wheelchair-bound Brigadier (retired) RV Jatar by ‘escorting’ him to the newly revamped Rezang La memorial.
Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday described himself as ‘fortunate’ after he met Briagdier (retired) RV Jatar of the Indian Army, one of the very few men who survived the epic battle of Rezang La, fought between the Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh on November 18, 1962. “It was my good fortune that today, I got an opportunity to meet Brigadier (retired) RV Jatar, who was a company commander at the time,” Singh's tweet, roughly translated from Hindi, read.
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“I am overwhelmed with respect towards him, and salute his courage. May God keep him health and grant him a long life,” the defence minister, who was in Ladakh to inaugurate the revamped Rezang La memorial, added.
Singh further showed his respect by ‘escorting’ the wheelchair-bound war veteran towards the memorial.
The minister, accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and senior Army officers, inaugurated the revamped structure on the 59th anniversary of the battle, which was fought during the 1962 Sino-Indian war. During this episode, the vastly outnumbered 13 Kumaon Battalion, led by Major Shaitan Singh, was attacked by the intruding Chinese troops. However, the Kumaon Battalion fought back, and, besides inflicting a large number of casualties on the Chinese, also saved the Chushul Garrison from being run over.
A total of 114 Indian soldiers, including Major Shaitan Singh, sacrificed their lives in the battle of Rezang La.
