At dawn on October 23, 1962, high on a ridge near the Bum La Pass in the icy heights of North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA), a platoon of Indian soldiers found themselves cornered. The Chinese troops came in wave after wave, armed and resolute, ready to break through. At their head stood Subedar Joginder Singh of the 1st Battalion, Sikh Regiment.

He was wounded early, his ammunition nearly spent, yet he would not give ground. He threw grenades, charged with his kukri, rallied his men, until the ridge was lost and he was taken prisoner.

He died in captivity.

Posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, Joginder Singh’s story from the Indo-China war remains one of the clearest examples of small-unit leadership in India’s modern military history.

EARLY DAYS AND DUTY BEFORE DESTINY

Joginder S

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