BRIG JASBIR SINGH BAWA

I was commissioned into 7 ASSAM in Dec 1976 and was sidestepped to the “Nimble Nine” on its raising in Aug 1980. Fifteen years later I commanded 9 Assam. I was fortunate to be given a second command, that of 5 ASSAM from where I moved as Commandant of the Regimental Centre. lest they are lost to fading memory, I have attempted to pen an account of events and incidents that drove home lessons and impacted me along my journey in the Regiment.

Young Officer at ARC

Ours was a one off group that spent close to seven months at the Centre before dispatch for the Young Officer’s course. My seriousness with the pre-course training withered with each passing day as pleasures of playing football with the ARC team, driving the length and breadth of Meghalaya on my faithful Yezdi and partying with friends gradually took precedence. One evening as I came out after my customary post football bath I found my room mate Col ( then 2Lt) MB Saxena rummaging through a book while our Batman (as buddies were then called) was tending to the fire. He was sitting in front of the fireplace on the only easy chair in the room, engrossed and enjoying his chore. He realized that we were both standing so he shifted to one half of the chair patted the space that he made and with an innocent smile said “shab aap kyon khara hai re? Baitho na”. We had just begun our learning curve!!  Blended with regimental ethos was the conduct of our men, their culture, traditions, habits, humour, peculiarities of tribes and most of all their character, that had a deep and endearing impact on our minds which had no exposure to the North East. I had a nascent yearning to know more and in retrospect I would say that is when my quest for the North East and its people took birth.  

7 ASSAM

On my way from the Young Officer’s course to join 7 ASSAM as a fresher, I reported late having spent four days eventful days with friends at Shillong. I biked it down to the unit then at Tamalpur to a reception that I am unlikely to forget. Office the following day started with a Court of Inquiry for being AWOL that kept me on my toes for the next two weeks or more. At the end of this period I gathered that there was a precedent both with some immediate seniors and of course rampant amongst men in the unit!!  I got away with forfeiture of all forms of leave for a year. Awareness of this regimental ill of the time was driven home hard.

The Raising CO, Brig (then Lt Col) P Shivpuri was starched OG to my rebel mind. He was dead honest, a stickler for rules, would speak softly and very little, but was gifted with a piercing wit, a great sense of humour and a disarming smile that was used to effect, though selectively! Given the initial draft that we got from sister battalions, there were a large number of disciplinary cases. The CO decided to deal with them rather than sending them back. The first year and a half saw MT accidents including one fatal, a murder, elopement from the family lines, theft, fist fights as also manhandling of the Wet Canteen contractor  apart from the usual AWOL and desertion cases all of which resulted a record number of Summary Court Martials. This side show, coupled with the onerous task of formulating SOPs, basic training, firing, raising of specialist platoons, physical training, drill, handling VIP visits, firming in administrative fundamentals, and following a pucca pucca unit routine etc was a tough call. Brig Shivpuri was unfazed would always keep his cool while his wit sharpened and his humour got more spiteful under pressure. His Darbars were an event that the rank and file awaited. He would put forth important issues laced with characteristic humour that would have the battalion in splits. His traits were hugely impressionable on my young mind. To emulate some of them was a challenge that I contested with as I grew in service.

The 2IC Brig (then Maj) V Ramanan again was very proper with a fascination for the rule book; we shared a mutual discomfort attributed perhaps to my AWOL case. One afternoon he told me to audit the Canteen accounts since Raising and give him a final report two days hence. As if that was not enough, after dinner the next day he told me to accompany a working party that was going to some forest somewhere to cut bamboos. I spent the rest of the night trying to find out the party commander, where they were going and in organizing a map of the area. My new task was to write a battalion level exercise on Defense. With less than a month in the unit I had no clue of a ledger let alone audit. As for the Exercise, it was a revelation that the physical stuff had a written base. I produced a shoddy first draft for both assignments which the 2IC tore to shreds. Repeated sincere attempts met the same fate. Finally with generous help from the adjutant and my seniors a readable work emerged which Brig Ramanan refined further. He then ordered me to the Co’s office. While I stood at Savdhan, the 2IC gave the files to the CO and said, “what a wonderful work this youngster has produced”. I was an exception who got a pat from the CO. A tough and uncompromising teacher that 2IC! I became one of his admirers as time went by.

Col (then Maj) MP Ao was my first company commander. He banished me to the lines. I had to spend all my time with the men which was tough to start with but developed into an addiction that I enjoyed immensely all through my service. I was to enter the company commander’s office only after I had mastered the personal details of the 100 odd men, had a hold over duties of Pay NCO, Kote NCO, QM, Langar Commander, Sec Commander to Senior JCO, had audited the Company property and accounts and was well versed with training and administrative documentation. He never spoke to me and I avoided him for fear of being ticked off or given additional responsibilities. On the day of reckoning when I stood up to his test, it was a big relief and I began to regain my confidence. Thereafter I was the de-facto company commander accountable and responsible for just about anything to do with A Company. When I did falter and expected a mouthful, his guilt inducing silence said it all. A dedicated professional, he was meticulous, very logical and worked with an uncluttered mind. He was a polite to the limit and very naturally truthful with an unshakable conviction in what he believed. He always stood by his subordinates. He gave me the finest lessons on the art of commanding our troops.

9 ASSAM

I got posted to 9 ASSAM on its raising in August 1980. The unit was raised by a Charminar smoking, rum drinking, hardnosed maverick who drove his team to impossible heights. Yes, that was Lt Gen (then Lt Col) JR Mukherjee a passionate professional who was to leave a lasting impression on us and for whom our respect and personal loyalty knew no bounds. He has been my mentor ever since. It was tough serving under his relentless pursuit for excellence that resulted in constant pressure on his command. It was this pressure that was to weld the unit into a confident and homogenous outfit. Training was his forte. Unmindful of rain or blistering heat, he put us through repeated practices till the men mastered the nuances of section leading platoon tactics, firing , mine laying and  specialist platoons’ training leading to company level one on one exercises that culminated in a series of battalion  exercises.

 I was appointed the Mortar Platoon Commander to lead a topkhana of unqualified and mostly untrained men; the Mortar JCO barely managed an ‘E’ grading on the mortar course while I had yet to attend one.  Not surprising that I had the distinction of taking 32 corrections before landing a bomb on target during our first field firing! That page of corrections forms part of the humour packed Scrap Book started by the 2IC Col (then Maj) SB Rai. During an exercise the GB stopped the Mortar Platoon vehicles and asked the MPC who was standing on the front seat with his head out of the hood as to where the they were heading. Nb sub Saizuana stuck out his palm and confidently shouted the Grid Reference scribbled on it– he had no map! Two years down the line and ever thereafter, that Mortar Platoon has been the best in almost every formation that the unit has been to. The determined GB simply had to achieve whatever he set out to. Uncompromising and single minded pursuit of aim was engrained into the culture of 9 ASSAM.

Once on a recce, ploughing through incessant rain and sticky slush, the CO’s jonga eventually got stuck in a seasonal nalla that was in spate. We got off, tried to push and pull without success. A bullock cart was mustered but it couldn’t rescue the vehicle. The GBs next step taught me an unforgettable lesson – we were all mounted on the bullock cart to continue the remainder part of our recce with little regard for the Jonga left behind.

A huge leather-bound ledger with blank plain paper was thrust at us (Suresh Ghorpade and me) on the night before our first Administrative inspection with directions to write the digest of service onwards from the first day of raising. We finished it through the night, (probably did justice for it passed the GBs muster) changed into drill order and joined the parade in the morning. He was an impatient perfectionist ‘I want it now and it has to be the best’ was his credo. One was always trying to catch up, even if you did, you were qualitatively below par. We were always on the receiving end of his wrath which at times took a physical dimension! Sometimes at night straight out of the office, the “useless” lot would trail the GB and converge unannounced at his house. There, he would be at his humane best complemented by Mrs Mukherjee who was exceptionally warm. These impromptu jigs with liquor and lighthearted banter took the pressure off and taught us the difference between work and home.  

Our first Battalion exercise was without the affiliated BC who was a day late in marrying up. That night after dinner, the GB took about 20 minutes to explain the nuances of fire support to me – his unqualified Mortar Platoon Commander and asked me to prepare a fire plan with 18 Fire Units, distribute it and give out a briefing that was to precede the CO’s orders the next morning. I was obviously on the firing line but learnt the hard way. Perpetually sleep deprived, I dozed off in the FUP while waiting for other serials to disembark. Caught red handed, my punishment was to join the RCL Gun crew and lug a gun from the FUP onwards; I was the shortest of the team!! 

When I returned after a tenure at the NDA Col SB Rai was the GB commanding   in Tenga Valley. He skippered the unit through a treacherous operational phase of the forward posture. He was a hands-on man who lead from the front carrying his pack and sundry awkward loads that he would pick up from stragglers along unforgiving climbs through rain, slush and snow. His actions and his empathy endeared him to the men for they saw him as one of them. He organized the construction of defenses with characteristic panache. Trouble makers, ring leaders, sportsmen, and those with reserves of humour were singled out as commanders. They were explained the task, given their target dates, given the resources, could pick their own team and were then left to execute without interference. Trust begets trust, the men did wonders. The GOC once surprised us. His party got disoriented in the fog and emerged at a bunker under construction while the CO and SM were waiting to receive him at the entrance of the defended area on a different spur. He was to quietly witness a scene that can only happen in the ASSAM Regt. Five long haired disheveled rhinos – one  busy pumping a stove cooking noodles and wild leaves, two swaying and dancing to blaring English music on their cassette player while helping the other two serious masons who were in deep concentration working at a frantic pace.  He was to witness similar scenes at bunker after bunker as he climbed further before the GB caught up. As news spread about the GOC’s arrival in the Battalion Area, order was restored. When the old man left, he was beaming, full of praise for he hadn’t seen or imagined men enjoying nature’s endless fury, men in such a peppy state and the construction way beyond the reported level. This, under major constraints of weather and shortage of supplies whose demand far outstripped what could be pumped up. Unforgettable lessons in leadership and man management so peculiar to our Regiment were learnt here.

I took over command from Col Shyam Lal, a blue-blooded Rhino. He had successfully steered the unit out of a difficult phase in Pathankot. This was the time when we graduated from underdogs to the most coveted battalion in the formation and were known as masters of Lassian Bulge. The men had a great time fishing and trapping in between serious operational rehearsals. This was also the time when we had the distinction of losing a Shaktiman truck to flash floods in the Ravi River; it was never found. Col Syam Lal was at the helm when the unit moved to the Valley. He gave us the much needed stability and hoisted us onto a spring board to success.

I took over the reigns after he had already set the structure, the drills and method of ops in a CI environment. I was part of the raising team, had been in all stations with the unit, served under every CO before me and was the oldest hand in the unit. The team of officers, JCOs and men most of whom had worked with me, was truly outstanding. We shared a wonderful rapport. The unit was well bonded, hugely motivated and very responsive, perpetually yearning for more action. Their confidence and motivation levels soared with each successful operation. Resultantly I lived and relished each day of my command.

Operations in the Valley were like hunting big game. They demanded patience and skilful field craft which came naturally to the men. Very often after 2-3 days of self contained operations we would return empty handed, tired, hungry, filthy and disappointed.  At that juncture If there was any ‘information’ howsoever small, the tired looks would disappear and there would be a line up of volunteers. On arrival back form one such operation we had an actionable information for which a QRT was being dispatched. While I was discussing the plan with the party commander, there was a nock on my door and in walks Sep Kaikho Mao and says “Saab hum QM Saab ko kate ga. Wo har hamesha hamko langar working lagata hai. Operation jane ke lie request karne se bhi nahi manta aur coy 2ic bhi bhai bandi karta hai. Kyon hamko nahi jane deta inlog ?” He was promptly included.

A recce patrol to the base of Shamshabari Range in the area of Bandarkoot Village returned to a hero’s welcome while unknowingly leaving in their wake, a trail of terror in the   villages they went past. They had monkey heads and limbs popping out of their big packs!  Meanwhile dogs in the unit area and near vicinity were already finding their place on private cooking fires under the prying eyes of civilian porters. At the same time the men were very polite and well behaved. The message was clear and well understood.

 Xmas of 1995 is still talked about. We were deployed atop the Shamshabari Range for a few months. The unit from which we took over, could not complete the winter stocking due to early and very heavy snowfall. Charlie Company from Bandarkoot at the base, supplied smoked monkeys and jungle leaves while Sub Sapzarliana shepherded enough dogs along the ridge line for the feast. Shamshabari was also to give us one of our best operations. Col (then Capt) Dipanshu Sinha’s patrol trudging through 17 feet of snow on their way back from neighbouring 10ASSAM chanced upon a trail of infiltrated militants. They ran for over 14 hours, crossing three ridge lines in depth to bring the operation to its logical end. Three months later when we de-inducted to Panchgam, we handed over the defenses with one bunker deficient; buried under the snow for posterity. The tally is one three ton and one bunker lost for good, what a dubious distinction indeed!

The battalion immersed itself head long into nonstop CI operations. There were fire fights almost every week and thanks to the follow up interrogations expertly managed by Majs Avtar Singh and CL Fotedar , inflow of actionable intelligence  never dried up. All our officers developed a flair for extracting information and were ably complemented by the likes of Lnk Tongmilian, Hav Imti, Hav Dehiram Saikia and Luikhanthang. Sanjeev Shenoy as the Adjutant had a stellar role to play. Bippin Bhalla was the lucky mascot who rarely came back empty handed. Dipanshu and his team did some very difficult operations and were convinced that they were better than the Para Commandos. Shanta Kumar and Arun Harge were always dependable and made a formidable team along with the the rest of the officers.

We operated in the Valley for two years and nine months and left our mark with perhaps the highest tangible gains and more importantly just ONE FATAL casualty. A day before our departure from Srinagar, I recall our audience with the Corps Commander Lt Gen Krishan Pal who was also the Col of the Regt. His eyes were moist as he hugged the Sub Maj, Thungshel Anal and complemented him for loosing just one boy. 9ASSAM was conferred the COAS Unit Citation and the J&K Governor’s appreciation for outstanding operational performance. The unit was then sent to Chandimandir. 

After a well earned peace tenure at Chandimandir the unit moved back to the Valley with Col Suresh Ghorpade at the helm followed by Col Nandraj Lama. One winter night on the Shamshabari Range, Hav Thanu Ram of the RCL Platoon got a fire going on his post with a 22” degchi of snow atop; it had been a while that he and his charge had had a bath !  His instruction to the sentries was to keep feeding more snow and storing hot water. All the hard work and visions of a royal bath were put to naught when at first light, a mortar bomb from the Pakistani post across landed in the degchi. Thanu Ram was livid and blasted the enemy bunker with one round from their RCL gun. What followed was uncontrolled mayhem along the LC.

5 ASSAM

 I was privileged to have been assigned asecond command- that of the Fighting Fifth. After LT Gen (then Col) S Saha left for the Higher Command course there was a gap of about a month before I reported to take over the unit. During this period, the Brigade commander repeatedly changed the unit’s deployment; his mental mobility created an administrative nightmare. The unit had been in Assam for nearly two months (which including the time spent on pre- induction training) without any tangible results. The Brigade Commander was at the end of his tether, loosing his patience and civility. He would bad mouth and bully Col KK Anil Kumar the officiating CO and wouldn’t spare Sub Maj Lopsom either. While he was sizing up the unit, the men saw through him. We established an effective intelligence grid and eventually had the best operations in the Corps Zone, each one ending in a fierce fire fight which was rare in Lower Assam in the year 2000. We had more automatic weapons than the number of militants killed. That won us the GOC-in-C’s Unit Citation besides a host of awards.

There is a vital bit of history that somehow got left out of Vol II

I inherited the brilliant concept of ‘deep covert’ started by Subi. This was in the form of a local JCO left alone to roam the district on his bike (often with his wife on the pillion) and generally fraternize with his friends and acquaintances. He was a trusted loyalist who would report the vibes in the district and bring back inputs that were corroborated with available intelligence. This gave a flip to the incubating idea of covert operations. By virtue of our location at Mangaldai which falls halfway between Rangia and Tezpur on the North Trunk Road, we had the ear of the GOsC at both ends. They would always stop by for a break and briefing. I tried convincing the Brigade Commander to let us exploit our inherent strength and operate in covert. When he did not agree I broached it with the GOC. Both he and the Brigade Commander were apprehensive nevertheless I was able to prevail upon the GOC and we got his verbal nod. We deployed our Assamese and Bodo boys with their dress, looks and demeanor crafted to perfect effect. We had them selling chicken and eggs and local ware in village haats, our men were placed in fair price shops as assistants , in local busses to assist the bus conductors, along timber smugglers from Bhutan on their cycles, along Bodo fishermen etc. Each company strung out 2-3 teams in covert and importantly, they were all in communication courtesy locally modified VA sets. A month or so later we were able to map the militant activity in great detail and went over our findings repeatedly to corroborate with the Intelligence reports. We discovered that notwithstanding the results of preceding units, Kamrup district had no activity by armed militants of ULFA. Mangaldai was the intellectual and ideological base of the ASSU and ULFA took care never to vitiate the environment or breach its sanctity. Some of them would however come as unarmed individuals to visit girlfriends or family and at times engage in extortion by virtue of their aura as militants. Our inputs however pointed to heavy armed activity from Bhutan to the North. It was an area of approx 10Km along the Bhutan border by 8 Km along the the Bar Nadi running Southwards which the ULFA and NDFB used in Kamrup District before crossing the Bar into Darrang District. Our next project was to convince the higher commanders to give us that small patch located 80 KM away at the extreme of the AOR of a different unit. Meanwhile time was running out. This was a tough call but while we were formulating our strategy, one morning we were blessed by the visit of all three commanders up the chain. The request was turned down and they ridiculed the idea. They were at the verge of labeling the unit as a nonperforming asset when the Corps Commander drew me into an animated discussion on intelligence inputs which took the form of a long   extempore briefing. We gave out the detailed pattern of activity in Kamrup, the entry  points and routes from Bhutan and the crossings over Bar Nadi, their sympathizers and friends on the way, the leaders and guides of both ULFA and NDFB, the pattern of operations of both outfits, details of underground workers, vibes in the District and the prognosis. Towards the end I could sense a positive change in the body language of the Corps Commander; he finally agreed to let us deploy a beefed up Ghatak Platoon in the area. He asked me how much longer for the unit to start producing results. I requested for a grace of one more month to prepare.

We deployed a handpicked Ghatak Platoon of 2-2-36 at Athreekhat Tea Estate on the Bhutan border. The young rhinos were volunteers with less than five years of service and were from the team that had won the Divisional Firing Competition in the previous location, the two JCOs Sub Major (then Nb Sub)Paokhogin and Sub Maj (then Nb Sub) L T Liana were tough sportsmen with unusual initiative and instinctive intelligence. Capt Ramesh Badola and Lt Prashant Patil were the officers. We set about their training with passionate zeal .Physical fitness, field craft, firing and area familiarization were the basics from which we graduated to one on one exercises where the Gkhataks could operate in covert or a mix of combat fatigues and civil dress. One party would infiltrate as militans and the other deployed in ambush(s).  The teams would be in a mixed disguise of cowherds, shepherds, wood cutters, farmers, fishermen, or plain villagers crafting bamboo in the open etc: the boys had complete freedom to choose their dress, routes and method of operations. This game was supervised by me on a number of occasions till I was satisfied with their standards. All little drills given in the patrolling and ambush pamphlets were actually practiced and rehearsed against a realistic background. The boys had mastered not only the drills but the ground where they were to operate. Meanwhile the gifted Capt Badola set about cultivating sources and picking up pieces of intelligence. Within a month he had achieved the unthinkable – he was able to infiltrate the network of ULFA and NDFB and befriend their guides and some commanders from the district. He went about his task with great maturity without ever hurrying or loosing sight of the aim.

The Ghataks struck a day before our grace was to expire and never looked back thereafter. Almost 90% of the tangible results of the unit were by the Ghatak Platoon. One incident that struck a deep chord, concerns training and rehearsals. The forest bordering Bhutan was extremely dense with plenty of wild life. Here the boys would rehearse the drill of marrying up at the RV in case the ambush or patrol is compromised. This was their local sport which they enjoyed immensely. One rainy and pitch dark night an ambush party reached their cache, left their pre-cooked meals and heavier loads and settled down into ambush. That night once the rain abated, they were attacked by a herd of elephants-back packs, rations and weapons flew all over. The men salvaged their loads, dispersed in panic and ran. Nothing lost and no casualties reported. The boys in their buddy pairs met at the designated RV two hours later AMEN !! It later transpired that the party had gone past or through this herd while it was stationary during the rain. My respect for their professionalism grew manifold.  Commanders up the chain took their time but eventually got very fond of the unit. They were completely disarmed by the mismatch between outstanding results and the utterly unassuming comportment of the boys.

ARC Shillong

Brig NPK Kumar’s well earned nomination to the US Army War College catapulted me from 5 ASSAM to the Centre as Commandant ARC in his place. Within no time our team got immersed in the process of planning for the Diamond Jubilee that was to follow a year and a half later. Meanwhile for the Centre per-se, the KRA was training, sports and infrastructure development. For the latter the Regiment needs to thank Lt Gen Krishal Pal who was then the QMG and our COR as also Lt Gen JR Mukherjee who was Chief Of Staff Eastern Command and COR designate. Together they ensured adequate funding to make the later Phases of KLP a reality. While the Centre’s history between Vol II and III would find its place, as would its achievements, infrastructure development, training and   Diamond Jubilee Celebrations etc, I would go for some little known episodes during my tenure.

Soon after the Diamond Jubilee, our Record Office went through an inspection by the inspector of records from Army Head Quarters. His disclosure that Records the ASSAM Regiment was the worst in the Indian Army left us crestfallen. Personally, I was further deflated to learn that within the Regiment, the two units that I had commanded were bringing up the rear with 9 ASSAM at the bottom succeeded by 5 ASSAM. Records the MADRAS Regiment were the best. I visited MADRASS Regimental Centre and discussed the matter with their Commandant and Lt Col Chelliappa their CRO who incidentally was soon  under posting to head our Records. While the incumbent SRO Col Vijayan set the basic norms , Chelliappa refined it further and during the reunion a couple of months later the inter battalion Documentation Trophy with an unambiguous quantification model was unveiled . That was the beginning of our climb to the top both for our Records and the units that I had commanded. I presume the documentation procedure and drills are now set for we retain the top slot firmly. Team Records the ASSAM Regiment and the battalions stood up to a daunting challenge very successfully indeed.   

In the run up to the Diamond Jubilee we would have weekly presentations by officers and JCOs in charge of various events. The frequency increased as we came closer to the event. One thing that stood out was that given a clear cut task, guidance and the resources, our JCOs were excellent in their planning and execution which was a delightful contrast to their stereo type. It was heartening to see constructive dissent and some wonderful suggestions.  

One Saturday evening the officers broke off unusually late after presentations and discussion. We decided to hit the bar and let our hair down. I casually remarked that our bar looks very staid and needs to be done up to a standard befitting the Diamond Jubilee. Various suggestions were made when some one criticized the old aquarium- that small three feet by one foot fish tank behind the bar counter. Surely it must have been great when it was installed. As more liquor went in, spirits soared but the discussion wouldn’t break from the aquarium. Then I noticed some one slouching on the couch, very happy with his elixir who said “make the whole thing an aquarium”. That gave way to serious brainstorming at the end of which the idea of the entire bar counter with a glass topped aquarium was born. Maj Shirish Patil then took it to its conclusion. The fish were all given appointments by him and the laziest one was called PTO .

During the Diamond Jubilee Parade, undetected by anyone, the Parade the unthinkable happened- the Parade Commander lost his voice. He was seamlessly covered by the Parade 2IC. Even I learnt of it a couple of days after the event from the Drill Sub Maj, Ibobi Singh who had foreseen this contingency.

We took meteorological data of fifteen years to decide on the date for the Diamond Jublee during a period that Shillong has never seen rain. On Day Two however, Happy Valley was to experience the heaviest rainfall in a decade!! Half way through the events that morning, Plan B was set into motion by the Deputy Commandant Col D Binda. When it started to pour, while I was looking for him or the Adjutant to pass orders, things were already under control without a flap or any orders. The rehearsed contingency was flawlessly underway.

After an eventful second stint at the NDA, On promotion I was given command of an Assam Rifles Sector looking after Tirap and and Changlang Districts of Arunachal Pradesh. My association with the wonderful North East and its people got another lease. Their loyalty, strength of character and uncanny humour was to leave a permanent print. God bless you my friends.

Tagra Raho