Dograi

Dograi (डोगराई) is a small village 13 km away from Lahore in Pakistan. It is known for the Battle of Dograi by 3 Jat with Pakistan in 1965.

Battle of Dograi

Ram Sarup Joon ^[1] mentions two Infantry Battles. The two memorable battles in Punjab, Burki and Dograi, were both fought by Jats, the former by Sikh Jats and the latter by Hindu Jats.

Ram Sarup Joon^[2] writes about the Battle of Dograi by 3 Jat. [p.247]: This was a unique achievement by Third Battalion, The Jat regiment, which achieved results which should normally require a brigade or more. They defeated a complete and good enemy battalion in well prepared defences in built up area and steel and concrete pill boxes. The battalion knew well that success would be very costly so, they had a Bara Khana before going into attack with a view to having a last good meal.

The attack started on the night of 21st September. A part of battalion engaged the enemy with frontal fire while the remaining took a long detour of 6000 yards and approached from East. It was dark night. The advancing troops came across dense mine fields and heavy machine gun fire on fixed lines. The Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Hyde had foreseen it, warned the troops of what they were going to encounter and had ordered that every man would keep going forward, crawling if necessary, till he either dies or reaches the enemy positions. The Jats carried out his orders to the last word. Hand to hand fight carried on till day break. In the morning 300 Pakistani dead were counted. 109 including their Commanding Officer

[p.248]: were made prisoners. A complete battalion had been written off, the order of battle of Pakistan Army and also and important place was captured. Numerous individual examples of courage had been set for posterity.

Only 27 survived out of the company commanded by Major S.R. Yadav.

The Second company commanded by Major Raghbir Singh Sandhu had the honour of killing 12 and capturing 29 Pakistanis including Lt. Col. Golwala the Commanding Officer.

Major Asha Ram Tyagi was found with six bullets in him. He had captured two Pakistani Tanks. He died with a smiling good bye to the second in command. He was awarded MVC posthumously.

Naik Manphool Singh killed 10 with his bayonet.

Subedar Pale Ram who earned M.M. for killing 89 Japanese during Second World War did it again. He kept advancing with his platoon in spite of getting 7 bullets in his stomach till his troops captured their objective and 4 enemy machine guns. In spite of his condition,he killed several enemy with his bayonet and survived.

Hav. Hukam Singh killed 7 enemy and captured 24 from a house.

Sep. Kanwar Lal, the CO's batman saw that enemy was endangering the CO by their fire from inside a house. He ran towards them and killed 3 with a grenade. Two Jawans were found lying next to the enemy banker with grenades still in their hands.

Hav. Randhir Singh was found with his face almost inside the enemy pill box and 20 bullet holes in his head.

History of the Jats, End of Page-248

[p.249]: Sep. Mahabir Singh kicked an enemy in the face when he was trying to grab his gun and then bayonetted him.

Lt. Col. Hayde, the CO, kept up with the assaulting troops and never took cover. He was awarded MVC for his brilliant command.

According to the Battalion Doctor, Captain S.G. Reddy, he never heard a wounded Jat saying 'AH' while getting his wounds dressed.

In the words of the captured Pakistani Lt. Col. Golwala, " There was just no way of stopping the Jats."

List of Martyrs of Dograi war

INDO-PAK WAR 1965

3 JAT (Dograi Paltan)

1. MAJ ASA RAM TYAGI, MVC

2. MAJ R D VATSA

3. CAPT KS THAPA, MVC

4. 2 LT K P SINGH, SM

5. 2 LT JABAR SINGH

6. NB SUB DHARAM SINGH

7. HAV RANDHIR SINGH, SM

8. NK JILE SINGH

9. NK HARI SINGH

10. NK RAM KISHAN

11. NK NAHAR SINGH

12. L NK RAM PHAL, SM, No.- 3141748

13. L NK IQBAL SINGH

14. SEP CHHAJU RAM

15. SEP ISHWAR SINGH, No. - 3139527

16. SEP RAM NIWAS

17. SEP MANI RAM, SM

18. SEP ARJAN SINGH

19. SEP CHIRANJI LAL

20. SEP OM PRAKASH

21. SEP RAM PHAL, No.- 3141868

22. SEP RAM KARAN SINGH

23. SEP MANPHUL SINGH

24. SEP P S KATARIA

25. SEP FATEH SINGH, SM

26. SEP DHARAMPAL SINGH

27. SEP RAGHBIR SINGH

28. SEP CHHOTU RAM

29. SEP RAM DEWA

30. SEP BHOOPAL SINGH

31. SEP JAIPAL

32. SEP JHABAR SINGH

33. SEP ISHWER SINGH, No. - 3144660

34. SEP RAJENDRA SINGH

35. SEP SHITAL SINGH

36. SEP DARIYA SINGH

37. SEP RAM CHANDER, No. - 3145270

38. SEP BHAGAL RAM

39. SEP JAI LAL

40. SEP AMAR SINGH

41. SEP GANESHA RAM

42. SEP RAM KISHAN, No. - 3146283

43. SEP DAYA RAM

44. SEP SATBIR SINGH

45. SEP RAJ PAL SINGH

46. SEP MUNSHI RAM

47. SEP ISHWAR SINGH, No. - 3147727N

48. SEP RAM CHANDER, No. - 3147846

49. SEP RAM CHANDER, No. - 3147861

50. SEP GURDYAL SINGH

51. SEP DULI CHAND - Duli Chand Fageria became martyr during Indo-Pak war 1965 near Lahore in Dograi war. He was from Lambor Bari village in Rajgarh tahsil of Churu district in Rajasthan.

52. SEP JAGDISH RAM

53. SEP BOHIT SINGH VERMA

54. SEP JUG LAL

55. SEP BIRBAL RAM

56. SEP HARI SINGH

57. SEP KARNAIL SINGH

58. SEP MAHABIR SINGH

59. SEP NARAIN SINGH

60. SEP MEGH RAJ SINGH

61. SEP HARDAYAL SINGH

62. SEP DATA RAM

63. SEP LAKHMI CHAND

64. SEP RAM KISHAN, No. - 3150344

65. SEP UMRAO LAL

66. SEP DAYA NAND, No. - 3151380

67. SEP KHEM CHAND

68. SEP MAHA NAND

69. SEP DHARAM BIR

70. SEP ATTAR SINGH, No. - 3152754

71. SEP PHITHU RAM

72. SEP RAM DIA

73. SEP DAYA NAND, No.- 3153142

74. SEP SHIB LAL

75. SEP SARDAR SINGH

76. SEP KITAB SINGH

77. SEP JAI PAL SINGH

78. SEP ATTAR SINGH, No. - 3153593

डोगराई की लड़ाई

भारत-पाक युद्ध 1965 में "डोगराई की लड़ाई" भारतीय सेना द्वारा अब तक लड़ी गई सबसे भीषण लड़ाईयों में से एक थी। इस भीषण लड़ाई 3 जाट रेजिमेंट डोगराई पर कब्जा करने में सफल रही थी। डोगराई पाकिस्तान के लाहौर शहर से 13 किमी दूर एक छोटा शहर है अथवा इसे लाहौर शहर का प्रवेश द्वार भी कहा जा सकता है। एक बार 6 सितंबर 1965 को भारतीय सेना ने डोगराई पर सफलतापूर्वक कब्जा कर लिया था परंतुं कमान को बटालियन के कब्जे से संबंधित सही सूचनाएं नहीं मिलने व सुदृढीकरण के नहीं आने से उसे फिर छोड़ना पड़ा।

डोगराई पर फिर से कब्जा करने की वास्तविक लड़ाई 21-22 सितंबर 1965 की आधी रात को लड़ी गई थी जो असाधारण वीरता, अदम्य साहस, दृढ़ निश्चय एवं बलिदान की एक गाथा बन गई। दुर्भाग्य से, अगले ही दिन इस युद्ध के संघर्ष विराम की घोषणा हो गई और भारतीय बलों को वापस लौटने का आदेश दिया गया। वार्ता की मेज पर डोगराई की जीत की बलि दे दी गई।

इस लड़ाई को भारतीय सैन्य इतिहास की सबसे खूनी लड़ाइयों में गिना जाता है। 21/22 सितंबर 1965 की अंधेरी रात में "जाट बलवान-जय भगवान" के युद्धघोष के साथ भारतीय सेना के 3 जाट बटालियन और पाकिस्तान की 16 पंजाब बटालियन के बीच पहले तोपों, हथगोलों और बंदूकों से, फिर संगीनों से, और अंत में ईंटों-पत्थरों से या जो कुछ हाथ में आया उससे भीषण लड़ाई लड़ी गई थी।

लेफ्टिनेंट कर्नल डेसमंड हेडे (महावीर चक्र) की कमान में 550 जवानों के साथ 3 जाट बटालियन ने पाकिस्तान की तोपखाने और दो टैंक स्क्वाड्रन (प्रत्येक में 15 टैंक) से सुसज्जित 16 पंजाब बटालियन पर कब्जा कर लिया। वीर जाटों ने 308 दुश्मन सैनिकों को मार गिराया, उनके तोपखाने के बैटरी कमांडर, दो अधिकारियों, पांच जेसीओ व 108 सैनिकों के साथ उनके कमांडिंग ऑफिसर कर्नल जे. एफ. गोलवाला को पकड़ लिया और 16 पंजाब रेजिमेंट का सफाया कर दिया। इस लड़ाई में 3 जाट के मेजर आसाराम त्यागी, कैप्टन कपिल सिंह थापा सहित 86 वीर सैनिक बलिदान हुए थे। मेजर त्यागी और कैप्टन थापा दोनों को मरणोपरांत महावीर चक्र से सम्मानित किया गया।

3 जाट को उनकी प्रचंड वीरता के लिए प्राप्त वीरता सम्मानों से ही इस लड़ाई की उग्रता व प्रचंडता को जाना जा सकता है। इस लड़ाई में 3 जाट को कुल 38 वीरता सम्मान दिए गए, जिनमें 4 महावीर चक्र, 4 वीर चक्र, 7 सेना मेडल, 12 मेंशन-इन-डिस्पैच और 11 सीओएएस प्रशस्ति पत्र हैं।

डोगराई से वापस लौटते समय 3 जाट वहां से लाहौर 13 किमी दर्शा रहा माइलस्टोन स्मृतिचिन्ह के रुप में उखाड़ कर ले आई थी।

Source - Facebook Post of Ramesh Sharma, 21.9.2021