Page 13 - Seniors Today Dec 2019
P. 13
The demolished road bridge at Jhingergacha
engagement. the battle, I heard the news on my transistor,
Capt Jay Sapatnekar from my Shivaji Military and what the BBC had reported was accurate
School had put my battery at Priority Call for and I had actually seen it happen – 11 enemy
the 45 Cavalry Regiment. I had thus redeployed tanks were destroyed and the enemy armour
on the flanks of the Artillery Regiment in direct squadron had limped out with only three tanks
support to 42 Infantry Brigade for the Garibpur intact. The destroyed Pakistani tanks were
battle. I witnessed the tank vs. tank battle then, thereafter recovered and moved inside the Boyra
and my guns were already on anti-tank gun Bulge. Defence Minister Jagjivan Ram addressed
platforms for direct shooting. Tank Alert AP the troops, congratulating them for their valour,
Charge 3 was ordered by me, and all guns were and providing additional motivation for us.
loaded, ready to engage. We saw the enemy Later on the night of 16-17 December 1971, I
tanks doing a diagonal crosser in front of my would actually get the opportunity to meet
guns at about 600m, when I was tempted to the badly mauled Pakistani 3 Independent
give the order to fire. My seasoned troop leader, Armoured Squadron Commander, outside
a veteran of the 1965 war, Nb Sub Raghunath the minefield at Siramani, enroute to the final
Singh, squeezed my hand and said, Sahib don’t battle of Khulna. He drove in that night on
give orders to fire, because it seems the enemy 16 December, and while I was waiting on the
tanks have not seen us, and if we now fire, roadside with officers of 45 Cavalry having
we will attract them to charge on our battery. tea (till the minefield breaching or trawling
Raghunath spoke sense and I listened to him. was being completed), this Pakistani officer
The enemy tanks moved across, and we waited offered his revolver and said the war is over,
for the next opportune moment. Nothing and that I should take him to the senior officer
happened. I saw some people in that area who of the Indian Army then and there. I escorted
looked like foreigners, perhaps European I the Pakistani officer to meet Lt Col Jamwal,
thought; later I learnt that they were some Commandant 45 Cavalry, and then he told us
BBC correspondents who were reporting the that his squadron had been outmanoeuvred by
battle. Heavy firing and tank noises continued our armour, and what the BBC had reported on
throughout, reminding us that it was war for us. the news was correct.
After the battle was over that night I disengaged I waited for the Vehicle Safe Lanes and once
from that location, got permission to return and that was completed, I inducted my battery
join my regiment. at about 2am through the minefield – a great
When I returned to my regiment location after experience indeed. In the early morning hours
13 SENIORS TODAY | Volume 1 | Issue 6
