Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria was an Indian Army officer best known for his role in the 1961 United Nations operation in the Democratic Republic against a heavily armed separatist force And was awarded India’s highest gallantry medal, Param Vir Chakra (PVC). Congo and thwarted a rebel-led attack on the United Nations headquarters, during which he succumbed to his injuries, making him the only soldier in the Indian Army to be awarded a PVC for participating in a United Nations operation.
Wiki/Biography
Captain Gulbachan Singh Salaria was born on Friday, November 29, 1935, in Janwal village, Shahkargarhi, Punjab (now part of Pakistan) (he died at the age of 26). After the partition of India in 1947, the young Gurbachan brought his family to the Indian side of Punjab, settled in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab, and studied in a public school. He didn’t pay much attention to studies and spent most of his time playing sports like kabaddi. He came from a family with a military background, so he had a tendency to join the army since he was a child. Later, he tried to get admission into the King George’s Royal Indian Military College (KGRIMC) in Bangalore, but was rejected as he did not meet the physical standards required by the college. After some time, he applied to KGRIMC again and this time he was admitted. Later, he transferred from Bangalore to King George’s Royal Indian Military Academy in Jalandhar. After completing his studies in 1953, Gurbachan Singh Salaria joined the United Services Defense Academy and later the Indian Military Academy in 1956.
family and caste
Captain Gulbachan Singh Salaria belonged to a Punjabi Saini Sikh family.
Parents and siblings
His father’s name is Chaudhari Munshi Ram Salaria, who is also serving in the army. He was a member of the Hodson Cavalry Dogra Squadron and was part of the British Indian Army Cavalry. His mother’s name is Dhan Devi. His younger brother Sukhdev Singh Salaria lives in Pathankot.
Punjab: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat today met the relatives of Param Vir Chakra awardee late Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria in Pathankot. Captain Salaria was awarded the PVC for distinguished service while deployed in the Congo in 1961 as a member of a United Nations peacekeeping force. pic.twitter.com/F5Uw925Bk8
— ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2019
Profession
Serving as an officer among the brave Gurkhas
After completing intense training, he graduated from the Indian Military Academy on June 9, 1957, at the age of 22. He initially served with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Gurkha Rifles, before transferring to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Gurkha Rifles in March 1960.
The background to events that plunged Congo into complete chaos
Before June 1960, Congo was under Belgian colonial rule. In 1960, Belgium decided to end its colonial rule over Congo and give the Democratic Republic of the Congo independence to be ruled by its own people; however, things did not go as planned and soon the Congolese army mutinied due to the differences between whites and blacks in the country. , leading to the country’s two regions, Katanga and Kasai Sud, beginning to strongly demand separation from the mainland. Things slowly took a drastic turn, and the newly independent nation descended into the darkness of civil war. After repeated attempts, Congo and Katanga have been unable to reach a joint or cooperative consensus to resolve their differences. Finally, on July 14, 1960, the Congolese government decided to request the United Nations to intervene in the situation.
United Nations involvement in Congo
In response to the crisis, the United Nations immediately established a multinational force with the United Nations Operation Congo as its flagship. India sent about 3,000 people and transferred the 99th Infantry Brigade, which also includes the 3rd Infantry Brigade, to the United Nations for assistance. 1st Gurkha Battalion, March 1961. The United Nations failed to resolve the situation in Congo peacefully and adopted UN Security Council Resolution 169. According to the resolution, the United Nations condemned separatist actions in Katanga and authorized the use of armed forces.
Captain Salaria leads his Gurkha soldiers on the front line
Captain Salaria and his 3/1 Gorkha Rifles soldiers were ordered to move and deploy at the strategically important Elisabethville Airport in Katanga and protect the United Nations Headquarters there. The rebels, known as gendarmes, want to set up roadblocks around and near the airport. The mission of the Indian contingent was to clear the enemy blockade so that the United Nations, with the help of the airfield, could continue unimpeded operations in the Congo. With the enemy outnumbered, Captain Salaria decided to lead the charge. The rebels were assisted by two armored vehicles and it is believed they did not expect any kind of attack due to their larger numbers. Captain Salaria and his Gurkhas slowly and quietly crawled to a distance that was long enough for a rocket launcher to take out enemy armored vehicles. After the rockets destroyed the armored vehicle, Captain Salaria immediately led the charge to clear the roadblock.
Award – Param Vir Chakra
Captain Salaria was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) in recognition of the raw courage he displayed in the face of overwhelming odds and against an enemy more powerful than himself with complete disregard for his personal safety. Contest. The award was received by his father Munshi Ram Salaria on January 26, 1962.
Munshi Ram Salaria, father of Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria, receives Param Vir Chakra on behalf of his son (posthumously)
Honor
- A square at the National Defense Academy was named Salaria Square in honor of this brave officer.
Salaria Square is named after Gurbachan Singh Salaria of NDA
- On December 5, 1992, the Army Postal Service issued a special stamp in memory of Captain Gulbachan Singh Salaria.
Indian Army Postal Service postcard in memory of Captain Gulbachan Singh Salaria on December 5, 1992, PVC
- There is a stadium named after him at the 14th Gorkha Training Center in Sabatu, Himachal Pradesh.
- In 1984, Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) named one of its oil receivers Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria, PVC.
die
Equipped only with a kukri knife, the brave warrior till the end
The inverted rifle and helmet on top mark the place where Captain Gulbachan Singh Salaria died in the Congo
During the United Nations operation in Congo, after Captain Salaria’s men destroyed two Katangan rebel armored vehicles, Captain Salaria decided to lead the charge, with his regiment shouting “Jai Maa Kali, Aayo Gorkhali”, which means It was “Long live Goddess Kali, the Gorkharis are coming.” Captain Salaria wanted to take on the disorganized enemy before they could reorganize themselves and launch a counterattack against the Indians. His last message on the radio to another officer was “I will continue the attack because I am sure I will achieve victory.” The soldiers followed the commander’s orders and engaged the enemy with unsheathed hookri knives, causing heavy damage to the rebels. In the chaos and course of the battle, Captain Salaria was hit in the neck by a burst of bullets from an enemy automatic rifle. He refused to back down and continued to attack the enemy until the enemy lost nearly half of its troops before deciding to leave the dead and wounded and escape. Captain Salaria later succumbed to his injuries while en route to a hospital for treatment.
Soldiers of 3/1 Gurkha Rifles carry a portrait of Captain Gulbachan Singh Saralia as they return from a peacekeeping mission in Congo
Facts/Trivia
- Captain Gulbachan Singh Salaria is the first alumnus of the National Defense Academy to receive the Param Vir Chakra (PVC).
- His commanders nicknamed him “Khan Saheb” because of his short hair and upturned mustache.
- After arriving in Shimla, before being deployed to the Congo, he showed his hand to a palmist who said it would bring him great fame.
- Among all his siblings, Gurbachan Singh Salaria was the favorite of his grandmother, who often tied a black thread around his waist to protect him from evil intrusion.
- While studying at King George’s Royal Indian Military Academy, Gulbachan Singh challenged a bully to a boxing match, and after defeating him, the bully had to apologize to him.
- Captain Gulbachan Singh Saraliya fought against 150 Katangese rebels, of whom Captain Saraliya and his men killed 40 of them. As a result, the rebels were thrown into chaos.
- Rachna Bisht Rawat writes in her book Brave – Paramveer Chakra Stories:
Two bullets penetrated his neck. Blood trickled down, soaking his shirt. Just ahead, he saw the gendarmes fleeing. Some of his brave and brave Gurkhas were still in pursuit. He didn’t resist as immense fatigue washed over him. He lost a lot of blood. His mission was accomplished and he felt at ease. Captain Gulbachan Singh Salaria of the 3/1 Gurkha Rifles closed his eyes, dropped his rifle and fell to the ground, falling into a coma from which he could never wake up.
- In an interview, Major General RP Singh, the battalion adjutant of Capt Gulbachan Singh Salaria, fondly recalled Gulbachan showing him his right hand for astrology. RP Singh said,
Just wait and see, this star will take me to greater heights. “I had no idea that his day of reckoning and fame was just a few days away. Or he will never know this fame, for it will come when he is in his heavenly abode. “
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education