|
Listen here
|
No amount of fire or hardship could lower the spirit of karam singh.
Karam Singh Born in Sehna village in the Sangrur District of Punjab, he was the second non-posthumous Param Vir Chakra awardee and the only Indian who has the highest number of medals from both British and Indian governments. One of the five soldiers Selected to raise the Indian flag for the first time after independence in 1947 was him. Karam Singh retired from the Force as Honorary Captain in 1948 and died in 1993 at the age of 77.
Among his many brave acts, Param Vir chakra awardee Karam Singh is most notable for his bravery on the 13th of October 1948, when Pakistan launched a brigade attack to retake Richhmar Gali in Kashmir valley. The firing from the Pakistani side was so furious that it destroyed almost all the bunkers in the Indian platoon. The communication of Singh with his commander was also cut off and he could not update his situation to his commander or ask for reinforcements.
On 23rd May 1948 Tithwal in Jammu and Kashmir were captured. After 23rd May 1948, the Pakistani enemy made numerous attempts to recapture Richmar Gali. On 13th October 1948, the enemy decided to launch a brigade attack to retake Richmar Gali, and bypassing Tithwal to advance into the Srinagar Valley. Lance Naik Karam Singh was commanding his men at Richmar Gali when the Pakistani enemy commenced its attack with heavy shelling of automatic machine guns and mortars. The fire was so pinpoint and accurate that not a single bunker in the platoon locality was left unscathed. Communication trenches caved in. Bravely, Lance Naik Karam Singh went from one bunker to another bunker, giving succor to the wounded and motivating the men to fight. Eight separate enemy attacks were made that single day, in which the enemy gained a foothold in the platoon locality. Immediately, Lance Naik Karam Singh, who was wounded by then, lead a counter-attack with a few men and evicted the enemy after a close quarter encounter in which many enemies were killed by Indian soldiers in a hand-to-hand fight. despite adversity, Lance Naik Karam Singh was proved himself to be a dauntless leader in a crisis. Nothing could destroy him, and no amount of fire or hardship could lower his spirit.
