The recent unrest in Ladakh has resulted in the deaths of several people, including a veteran of the Ladakh Scouts, Havildar Tsewang Tharchin, who was killed in police firing. This has raised concerns within military circles. Retired Army officers are urging calm and understanding, while also highlighting the sacrifices made by the Ladakhi people during various conflicts the country has faced with China and Pakistan. It was the result of the stellar performance of the Nunnus of Ladakh Scouts (Nunnu means younger brother in Ladakhi, and young Ladakhi soldiers are affectionately called Nunnus in the Army) in the Kargil conflict in 1999 that a decision was made to separate it from the ambit of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles and accord it the status of a full-fledged regiment. Thus, today, with barely five battalions, it is the smallest and youngest of all infantry regiments. The patriotism of the Ladakhi people has never been in doubt, right from the first day of Independence in 1947. When Pakistan tried to take advantage of the tribal invasion aided and abetted by the Pakistan Army in the Kashmir Valley and in the Poonch region, it also undertook an offensive operation in Kargil and Ladakh to seize as much territory as it could. Not many people in India are today aware that Pakistani regular and irregular troops were virtually knocking on the doors of Leh and were just a few km away in the 1947-48 war. In the Nubra Valley, too, the situation was dire with Pakistanis advancing at a fast pace. It was at this critical moment that the common Ladakhi rose to the occasion and volunteered to fight the Pakistanis, aware that the Indian Army was severely understaffed due to a lack of air connectivity with Leh and the lengthy route over the Zojila Pass. It was also in the 1947-48 war with Pakistan that 17-year-old Chewang Rinchen led his Ladakhi volunteers against Pakistanis in the Nubra Valley and routed them. He was awarded a well-deserved Maha Vir Chakra, a feat he repeated in the 1971 war, capturing vital territory in Baltistan in the Turtuk sector and earning the medal a second time, becoming a Ladakhi and Indian Army war hero. The 1947-48 war was also the genesis of the Ladakh Scouts, as it progressed from being part of a militia to a full-fledged regiment. During the 1962 war against China, the Ladakhi troops and civilians rose to the occasion once again and defended India with resolve. Chewang Rinchen yet again took an active part and was awarded a Sena Medal for gallantry. More than 600 honours and awards In all the conflicts in which the Ladakh Scouts regiment has participated, it has earned more than 600 honours and awards for conspicuous gallantry and distinguished service. While presenting Colours to the regiment in August 2017, President Ram Nath Kovind said the track record of the Ladakh Scouts speaks for the exceptional valour and spirit of the regiment's personnel and is a model for all soldiers and officers of the armed forces. He said, “Your courage and steadfastness have won you the Battle Honour ‘Turtuk’ for liberating approximately 804 square km of Indian territory in 1971, and Battle Honour ‘Batalik’ and Theatre Honour ‘Kargil’ in Operation Vijay in 1999. The regiment was a pioneer on the Siachen Glacier, as part of Operation Meghdoot, and Eastern Ladakh, which in a true sense is your home." "Your invaluable contribution during Operation Vijay in 1999 earned you the award of the Chief of Army Staff Banner and Unit Citation. I am also pleased to note that one of your battalions participated with great distinction in the United Nations Peace-keeping Mission in Lebanon,” the President said at the time. Ever since it was formed into a full-fledged regiment in 2000, all five battalions of the Ladakh Scouts, along with the regimental centre, have been awarded General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command Unit Appreciations for their exceptional services rendered during operations and natural calamities. During the Kargil conflict, the Ladakh Scouts were awarded 55 gallantry awards, including one Mahavir Chakra to Major (now Colonel) Sonam Wangchuk. Incidentally, his namesake Sonam Wangchuk, noted environmentalist, is now being held in prison in Jodhpur under the National Security Act (NSA) and is under scanner for alleged links with Pakistan. Apart from the Mahavir Chakra, the regiment also won six Vir Chakras and two Yudh Seva Medals during the Kargil conflict. The country owes as much to the average Ladakhi as it owes to the Ladakh Scouts. Names that have been etched into history, such as Sonam Norbu (who oversaw the construction of the emergency airfield in Leh in 1947), Colonel Chewang Rinchen, Colonel Sonam Wanchuk, and Naib Subedar Chering Mutup (who received the Ashok Chakra), are a few names representative of the entire Ladakhi people. It will be a disservice to brand these hardy, patriotic hill folks as anti-nationals, say retired Army officers.
