Troops fresh from a military exercise in Tibet, iron staffs studded with razor-sharp nails, 5 foot soldiers armed with stones and a meticulously planned betrayal – those were key ingredients in China’s futile plan to push back Indian forces and claim a portion of the Galwan Valley which belongs to India. Little did they know about the monstrosity of the tsunami that was about to engulf them in a response, unflinchingly labelled as ‘Revenge’.
India Today reports that the Chinese troops alongside the LAC were changed overnight. The ones they replaced were well acquainted to Indian army men guarding the LAC. Make no mistake the betrayal was planned. It just didn’t occur in the heat of the moment. Perhaps the thinking on Chinese side was that the killing of some men would render Indian army into commotion and a possible pull back. In all likelihood they would have presumed any counter attack by the Indian side would take days. Well of course the perception of India being a slow, chaotic democracy is obscured from none.
What they miscalculated was that the first responders on the ground weren’t some lazy clerks, rather the very professional and proud Indian Army. There was no way in which the troops were going to let go the brutal killing of their CO Col. Santosh Babu. He was an honourable man renowned for his cool head in military circles. The counter attack came and came in some ferocity.
In a barbaric onslaught unprecedented in modern warfare history the Indian troops led by Ghatak commandoes wreaked havoc in a final third brawl. Well, calling it a brawl is quite unjustified. This was not a usual scuffle between troops bumping into each other in no man’s land. The Indian bravehearts crossed the LAC and swarmed into Chinese positions and caught the fireless dragon by its tail, swirled it around and tossed it into the Galwan valley.
Sources suggest we were hopelessly outnumbered. But warfare history lay across us proving how numerical superiority is a myth. The soldiers in the hot zone were soon backed up by Ghatak platoon for one final assault on the enemy.
Every regiment of Indian army has its own Ghatak Platoon. They are trained to strike deep into enemy territory and with lethal impact. They often lead the charge on enemy positions. Their job is take the enemy aback and accomplish near-impossible tasks. The Ghatak Platoon is to Indian army what scout snipers are to the US marines. They are adept and unstoppable in conducting raid way beyond the line.
The Ghatak commandoes usually comprise of about 20 men. However, they are no short of a mini regiment. There is a captain to plan and lead the charge. The squad has NCOs, medics and even a couple of snipers. Make no mistake, there soldiers are the best of the best. They undergo a rigorous training to wear the honour of being a Ghatak. Their training consists of hand to hand combat, 60 km long marches with gear on, mountain climbing and what not. No wonder they left the Chinese bloodied and broken. The Ghataks have an honourable history of martyrdom and glory behind them. Right from Kargil to counter-terrorism ops, they have bossed it all.
It’s somewhat confirmed that the final charge was carried out at around midnight. The Indian troops led by Ghatak commandoes penetrated into enemy territory and attacked the Chinese soldiers with full force. Armed with long knives, stones and bare fists, the battle-hardened men proved to be too difficult an adversity for the five-footer dragon. The Chinese though in greater number were outmatched in spirit. While a lot of them flew the spot, all those who dared to stand against the Indian charge were plummeted to dust.
The Ghataks took it upon themselves to teach the Chinese the lesson of their lives. Sources suggest, the Ghatak commandoes broke necks and spines of dozen of Chinese soldiers with nothing but their bare hands, all that combat training coming in handy. Information that has managed to seep out suggests the 5 hour long assault left the Chinese side of the LAC gory, littered with limbs and broken bodies of the their own.
The assault did cause serious injuries and some fatalities to Indian side but the numbers on the Chinese side were so high, they are yet to come up with a respectable number. We lost soldiers to betrayal. We stood victorious in revenge. The very fact that the Chinese media went into frenzy the very next day bespeaks a lot about the gravity of the damage they had to suffer at the hands of brave Indian troops. The Chinese didn’t dare to launch a retaliatory attack. And this says a lot about the humiliation they had to suffer. They might attempt a few transgressions here and there but they better come prepared this time.
The Ghatak Platoon is waiting.
