Lance Naik Karam Singh VC

Param Vir Chakra

Lance Naik Karam Singh PVC was born on September 15, 1915 in an agriculturalist family of Jat Sikh in the village of Mallianwala in the Sangrur district of Punjab. His permanent address is: Vill. Mallian via Shaina, Barnala, Punjab, 148103, India. . He showed exceptional bravery in the fight against Pakistan in the Battle of Thithwal in Jammu and Kashmir in 1948 and was awarded Param Vir Chakra, the highest gallantry award of India.

His early life

When he was six years old, he was sent to school, but it was impossible to educate Karam singh, his father sent him to work on the farms. But he had no liking for agriculture either. He was given up as spoilt child.

From his very boyhood, he pined for an adventurous life. He had great admiration for his uncle who was a Junior Commissioned officer in the army. Karam Singh's ambition was to be a soldier. This was evidenced in his liking for wrestling and other strenuous games in the village.

Joins Army

It was on September 15, 1941 that an opening for an adventurous life presented itself. The second World Was in full swing. The inevitable Recruiting Officer visited Karam singh's village. Karam Singh, now a youth of 26 years, volunteered to get enrolled in the Army.

Having completed his basic training at the Sikh Regimental Centre in Naushera, Karam Singh was posted to the first Battalion of Sikh Regiment in August 1942. The Unit was then carrying out an intensive military training at Ranchi. It was during the training that his officers came to know that Karam Singh possessed the qualities of leadership and drive and could take quick and correct decisions in emergencies.

At the Burma Front

In 1944, the unit was detailed to fight with the Japanese on the Arakan front. Karam Singh got the long cherished opportunity to display his dash and strength. He risked his life on a number of occasions while fighting with the Japanese on the Htinshbyin, Buthidaung and Manipur fronts. He was wounded as many as four times in the Burma campaign. For his outstanding feats of bravery, Karam Singh was invested with the coveted Military Medal on March 14, 1944. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of Lance Naik.

In Defence of Jammu Kashmir

The war ended in 1945. India became independent two years later. But peace in free India was disturbed when Pakistani raiders invaded Jammu and Kashmir in 1947. It was October , our men routed the invaders beyond Tithwal, a small town in West Kashmir. The first Battalion of the Sikh Regiment was dispatched there to defend the town. The enemy fanned out in the neighbourhood and made desperate attempts to break through our resistance line. But the Sikh grimly held out.

A number of pickets were organised for the defence of the town. Lance Naik Karam Singh was detailed to guard a strategic outpost high on a hill, with only three of his comrades. Behind the picket was his company holding some bunkers, while in front was a heavy concentration of enemy. To attack the main position the company was holding, the enemy had first to capture the outpost.

The Grim Fight begins

On October 13, 1948 the day broke with war cries. Well entrenched in decisively advantageous positions, the enemy in overwhelming numbers attacked the outpost. Though outnumbered by one to ten Karam singh with great courage and determination put up dogged resistance. One of his colleagues fell down wounded in the engagement.But the attack was successfully repelled.

Unequal number do not deter him

There was a brief lull. Soon the enemy mounted another offensive.This time it was fierce fight between a host of invaders and three brave souls. Another comrade fell. Still the Lance Naik held out. Quite oblivious of the injuries he had received all over the body in the encounter, he used all the weapons he could lay his hands upon to hold his post. The stock of ammunition, he discovered was fast running out. He looked back to the main position for help. The bunkers were far off. His wounded comrades, he found, were dying. He too was loosing strength by profuse bleeding. The enemy was advancing in surging waves towards the outpost from all three sides. Karam Singh decided to withdraw. He safely carried his wounded comrades to a position of safety in the rear through heavy artillery fire, engaging the enemy in a hand to hand hand grenade fight all the way. During the heroic withdrawal, Karam Singh wiped out two enemy stations.It was a tale of cold courage and amazing fortitude.

Shows Rare Fortitude

Although badly injured and exhausted in the encounter, Karam Singh immediately joined that section of the Platoon which was nearest to the enemy. Another bloody skirmish ensued. The raiders started shelling very heavily.Not a bunker of the Lance Naik's platoon was intact. The crawl trenches got filled up. His men were falling fast. Maintaining a steady fire on the enemy positions, he moved from post to post. While doing this, he was hit by a chance bullet. But this did not stop hi. There was not a single bunker in which he was not seen encouraging the unhurt and tending the wounded. This kept his men in high spirits. By midday, the raiders had attacked as many as four times, but Karam Singh had been ready for them every time. They were beaten off.

Battle cries again ! The attackers mounted the fifth offensive with renewed ferocity. In the encounter Karam Singh spotted two raiders advancing towards him through crawl trenches. They could not be engaged by fire. Time was running out fast. The contingency demanded a split second decision. Karam Singh jumped out of his trench, bayoneted both of them and returned to his position in a trice. This was broke the morale of enemy completely. The attack was repulsed. The invaders fled.

Ultimately Thithwal Saved

But soon they returned. They launched two more attacks, but in vain The day long battle ended when the enemy called off the offensive at night. They finally withdrew, paying a heavy toll. Throughout the engagement, the attackers fired about three thousand shells, but they could not shake Karam Singh off his post. Thithwal was saved. The victory earned here was one of the decisive victories in the Jammu and Kashmir campaign. The Battle of Thithwal is saga of outstanding gallantry on the part of a soldier who fought an enemy host almost single handed.

Gets Highest Military Decoration of India

Befitting his feats of bravery and sincere devotion to duty, Lance Naik Karam Singh was decorated with the Param Vir Chakra,India's highest gallantry award.

References

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