On the occasion of Infantry Day, marking the arrival of first Indian troops in Jammu and Kashmir in October 27, 1947, it is fitting that the memories of the commanding officer of the first battalion that landed at Srinagar, Lt Col Dewan Ranjit Rai of 1 Sikh, are refreshed and that the sacrifice he and his gallant troops made in the defence of the Srinagar airfield are never forgotten.

Surprisingly for an important figure in the realm of Indian military history, very little is known about Lt Col Dewan Ranjit Rai other than some basic, frittered information about his military career and personal life. No attempt has been made to research his life and put all the facts together in a cogent form, despite his being the first senior officer of newly Independent India to have died in battle and

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