Shiv Aroor - India’s Most Fearless 3

At the time this book goes to print, it has been more than two years since the worlds largest modern military standoff began in the icy hellscape of eastern Ladakh. As the two armies remain massed in war-like numbers against each other across frosted plains, frozen lakes and mountains that disappear into the clouds, the standoff between India and China is far from over. As the carnage and close-quarter suspense that defined the first few months of the conflict turn into a slower, calmer but insidiously permanent confrontation, much of what happened has lain hidden in the storm of propaganda, claims and counterclaims.

The incident that sent the unprecedented Ladakh standoff exploding into the minds of millions across India took place on 15 June 2020, on a desolate riverbend in Ladakhs Galwan River valley. Months of coverage uncovered the reality of a terrifying clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers. But the complete story of what happened that night has never been fully told.

And thats why we believe the book you are about to read is so important, not just to the legacy of the Indias Most Fearless series, but in terms of giving our countrymen first-hand accounts of the biggest operations and incidents involving the Indian military. This third edition of the series begins with a first-hand account of the Galwan incident by officers and men of the 16th Battalion of the Bihar Regiment, who fought the Chinese that night and survived. Hair-raising as it was, the account proves the many shades of grey that define combat, a far cry from the black-and-white certainties they seem to us from all this distance away.

The Indian Army permitted us generous access to Colonel Ravi Kant the officer who succeeded 16 Bihar commanding officer Colonel B. Santosh Babu, who was killed in action in the clash and awarded the hallowed Maha Vir Chakra for uncommon courage and leadershipas well as other soldiers from the battalion, allowing us to present the only first-hand account of what happened that night.

The account not only answers many questions but sets the record straight on a central bone of contention, as you will discover. The ghosts of Galwan will continue to haunt a valley that sees a tentative truce amid a larger standoff that is far from over. And the questions remain over whether an expanding hostile force at Indias doorstep is a new status quo.

The lead-up to the publication of Indias Most Fearless 3 also saw the Indian military hit by one of its worst peacetime tragedies. On 8 December 2021, a helicopter crash in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu killed the countrys first chief of defence staff, General Bipin Rawat, an officer who, as chief of the army staff, was an impassioned supporter of this series, having also launched the first book. We were in constant touch with General Rawat during the course of writing this book, and he was looking forward to its release. The last conversation we had with General Rawat about Indias Most Fearless 3 was on 4 December 2021four days before the Mi-17V5 crashwhen he complained that we were taking too much time to bring out this book. He will be deeply missed.

The sole survivor of that horrific helicopter accident was a decorated young fighter pilot, Group Captain Varun Singh, whose face would become iconic across media in the days that followed. His story captivated the nation as he fought to stay alive for a week. Tragically, he didnt make it. But if a man lives on through his actions, then Group Captain Varun is as vibrant as ever in the first-ever account you will read here of his handling of a heart-stopping midair incident that won him a Shaurya Chakra.

Those are the two accounts that kick off what has been a heart-wrenching third volume of this series. You will also, for the first time, read a first-hand account of Operation Randori Behak, a fearsome Special Forces encounter in the mountains of Kashmirs Keran sector that stunned the country, which had just gone into a national COVID-19 lockdown.

You will also read, in the words of his wife, Nitika, the haunting tale of young Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal, who was killed in action fighting terrorists in the aftermath of the February 2019 Pulwama terror attack. The tragedy persuaded Nitika to drop her corporate job and join the Indian Army. In her account is embodied the voice and grit of the many proud, grieving military families who fade completely out of view each year in the wake of gallantry awards and official recognition.

From the forests of Indias North-east to the depths of the Arabian Sea, from the Line of Control to the unresponsive cockpit of a Sukhoi fighter flying at less than 50 feet, the as-yet-untold stories youre about to read here feature some of Indias most fearless military personnel in their finest hours.

When Indias Most Fearless began three books ago in 2017, we didnt think it would become a living, breathing flame that our readers would never allow to go out. If these stories inspire, thanks must go solely to the men and women we write about. When we began to write about them five years ago, it was because we believed these stories were too compelling not to share. It is, then, into the hands of the families of those we write about, their brave units and to you, the reader, once again, that we commit these ten true stories.

Delhi

June 2022

Shiv Aroor

Rahul Singh

1

I Had Never Seen Such Fierce Fighting

The Galwan Clash of June 2020

Even above the loud, steady roar of the Galwan River, he heard the thundering footfalls. The sound of over a thousand men reverberating through the darkness, amplified by the tunnel effect of a narrow valley flanked by steep rising mountains on both sides. Peering into the black void beyond Patrol Point 14, lit only a few metres forward by hand-held torches, the reality of those sounds dawned on Havildar Dharamvir Kumar Singh of the Indian Armys 16 Bihar infantry battalion. He clenched his eyes briefly shut to soak in every vibration. When he opened them again, he knew that the huge horde of men advancing towards his position was not marching.