A Matter of Honour But Also an Impossible Burden of Grief

“The sad demise of the four soldiers in an encounter at Doda District, J&K left their families teary eyed.”

– By Maj Gen Jagatbir Singh, VSM ( Retd)

Amongst the four personnel of 10 Rashtriya Rifles who laid down their lives in an encounter in Doda District in J&K on 15 July was 27 years old Captain Brijesh Thapa the son of Colonel Bhuwanesh Thapa (Retd) from the Garhwal Rifles. The other three soldiers were Naik D Rajesh, Sepoy Bijendra, and Sepoy Ajay. As Brijesh’s mother Nilima Thapa said “he will never come home”.

Brijesh was born on 15 January 1997 in Jalandhar and after studying in various schools around the country including Army School Mumbai, he did his BTech in Computer Science and the joined OTA Chennai from where he was commissioned into the Army Air Defence in September 2019. Promoted as a Captain last month he was serving with 10 Rashtriya Rifles. A third-generation Army officer’ Brijesh was a music lover and played the guitar well. He is survived by his parents and an elder sister.    

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The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has stated that he is; ‘Deeply saddened by the loss of our brave and courageous Indian Army Soldiers in a counter terrorist operation in Urrar Baggi, Doda (J&K). My heart goes out to the bereaved families. The Nation stands firmly with the families of our soldiers who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty’.

Facing Up to the Tragic Loss

Colonel BK Thapa the father of Captain Brijesh Thapa who is settled in Darjeeling said; “Brijesh spoke to me last on the morning of 14 July. He said he had just come down (from the higher reaches where militants are holed up) and that he had been asked to go back to the hills following an intelligence input. He said he would be leaving soon and I asked him to be careful.”

He said he learnt about the loss of his son at 10.45 pm on 15 July from the Army. “The CO called me and said that Brijesh fought well but unfortunately we lost him”. “I am proud of Brijesh. He fought from the front and gave up his life for the country. He didn’t run away. It’s a hard climb of six to seven hours, where they had to go up.”

“I could not believe it when I was informed that he was no more. He always wanted to be in the Army, right from his childhood. He used to wear my Army dress and roam around. Even after he completed his engineering, he still wanted to join the Army.”

“He cleared the exam in the first attempt and joined the Army. I feel proud that my son has done something for the security of the nation. The sad part is we won’t be able to meet him again.”

What makes a nation strong is people like Colonel Thapa who after the loss of their son are able to maintain their poise. It requires tremendous courage to express feelings in the manner he did.

The Final Salute

The scenes at the funeral of young Brijesh were enough to bring tears to anyone’s eyes as his parents along with the sister walked in step to pay their last respects to their son whose mortal remains lay in a coffin draped in the national flag. With his sister trying to comfort her parents and yet after laying the wreath Colonel Thapa raised his right hand to say ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.

The sound of the last post and the handing over of the folded national flag at military funerals, though extremely dignified, is not something that needs to be witnessed, especially on a recurring basis. It is even more traumatic for the family to bid such a farewell.

The Ethos of the Army

The Indian Army has a long list of soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the Nation. The list includes many of those like Brijesh who followed in the family footsteps and donned the uniform as well as those who took the path of soldiering based on a sense of patriotism. What binds all of them together is the values they stand for and the fact that they always put the interests of the country and the organisation above anything else.

They continue to stand by the credo of the Army which has been beautifully encapsulated in the words of Sir Philip Chetwode in 1932.

‘The safety, honour and welfare of your country come first, always and every time.

The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next.

Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and every time’.

The fate of a country depends on how well its soldier’s fight. In the Indian context there are innumerable examples of ordinary men achieving extraordinary results on the battlefields. The ethos of the Indian Army plays a vital part in shaping them. This also includes a high sense of Regimentation and the fact that the ‘izzat’; ‘Naam, Nimak and Nishan’ of a unit is above all. There is also a strong moral code, sound leadership, good training, motivation and high morale.

At a time when we look back at twenty-five years of the Kargil Conflict there are many other stories that exemplify the spirit of the Armed Forces. These include Lieutenant Manoj Pandey and Captain Vikram Batra, whose exemplary conduct during the Kargil war typifies the code of conduct of the Armed Services. Lieutenant Manoj Pandey constantly and persistently volunteered for the most difficult missions. In his diary, he had noted before the commencement of the war, “If death strikes before I prove my blood, I promise I will kill death”. He continued to lead mission after mission on the snow-covered slopes and when he was mortally wounded and lay dying on his last mission, he said, “I regret that I have only one life to give up for my country”.

Captain Vikram Batra was nicknamed ‘Sher Shah’ by the Pakistanis. He is the one who made famous the quote ‘Dil mange more’ that typifies the spirit of the Indian Army. Prior to his last mission, he said, “Either I will come back after hoisting the tricolour or I will come back wrapped in it but I will be back for sure”!  Another name that comes to mind is Lieutenant Vijyant Thapar and the nation is privy to the last letter he wrote home;” By the time you get this letter I’ll be observing you all from the sky enjoying the hospitality of the Apsaras. I have no regrets, in fact even if I become a human again, I’ll join the Army and fight for my Nation.

Similar is the legacy of another young Indian Army officer Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, son of Brigadier M L Khetarpal who participated in the 1971 Indo-Pak War and his name remains etched in India’s rich military culture due to  his extraordinary exploits in the Shakargarh Sector. His final words over the radio when he told his superior officer who had ordered him to abandon his burning tank still echo -“ No, Sir, I will not abandon my tank, because my gun is still working”.

These are ordinary men who led from the front and exemplified the spirit of the Indian Army while achieving extraordinary results. It is men such as these and many more of their ilk including Brijesh Thapa who continue to inspire future generations with their legacy of bravery and determination. The Indian Army stands tall because people like them have further enriched its rich military culture. 

Conclusion

These young soldiers with a rare DNA and drive have displayed uncommon bravery and sacrificed their lives for the love of the country. Their dedication and commitment remain unparalleled for which we Salute them.  While there is no doubt that there is a sense of pride but there is also a sense of grief as the loss suffered is impossible to cope with. The burden of loss endures.

In 1935 General Ludwig von Beck the German, Chief of the General Staff announced that “[t]he principles underlying the successful waging of war… had not been changed by the technical revolution… [and that] human beings and not machines were still the real instruments of war.”

Our human resource remains our prime battle winning factor, while we pay our tribute to the soldiers who laid down their lives for their courage and commitment it is also the responsibility of the state to ensure that a situation for them to make the supreme sacrifice does not arise and if it does it should not go in vain. We cannot afford to constantly inflate the list of soldiers who lost their lives in the service of the nation.

There are many questions that need to be answered regarding the rise of terrorism in this area and there are also issues relating to what has caused this rise as well as the manner it should be dealt with. 

But the best tribute to them would be to prevent the adversary from capitalising on a weakness it has identified. The challenge needs to be overcome with intent and resolve.  Terror needs not only to be eliminated but such incidents must be made costly and futile.

(Author is an Indian Army Veteran.)