Defence Minister Rajnath Singh last week inaugurated the Major Ralengnao ‘Bob’ Khathing Museum of Valour at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. The virtual event was held on October 31, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, observed as National Unity Day, where Singh also inaugurated a statue of Patel.
The legendary Bob Khathing led the expedition to peacefully integrate Tawang into India. He was also instrumental in establishing essential military and security frameworks, such as the Sashastra Seema Bal, Nagaland Armed Police, and the Naga Regiment.
By the time of the Tawang expedition, Bob Khathing had already made a name for himself in the Second World War through his soldierly exploits. We take a look at the eventful career of the soldier and civil servant.
What was Bob Khathing’s Tawang expedition?
In 1951, Maj Bob Khathing, then a member of the Indian Frontier Administrative Service, was tasked by the Governor of Assam, Jairamdas Daulatram, to occupy Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. It was important to secure the area as there were indications that the Chinese were preparing to walk into Tibet and possibly re-align the boundary with India.
Well-versed in jungle warfare, Bob Khathing started the expedition for Tawang on January 17, 1951, from the Lokhra Camp near Assam’s Charduar with troops of Assam Rifles. The terrain was hostile and the weather extreme, but Khathing and his men persevered. Once they arrived in Tawang, Khathing held parleys with the locals, winning over their trust. He officially took Tawang under Indian administration by hoisting the Indian flag on February 14, 1951.
Thereafter, Khathing started the process of establishing an administrative set-up in the area around Tawang. He appointed Gaon Buras (village elders) in each village for that purpose, in keeping with the traditional practice of one Gaon Bura for groups of three to ten villages.
Historian Claud Arpi, who has written extensively on the Sino-Indian conflict and border issues, said in one of his articles, “The Chinese Liberation Army arrived in Lhasa in September 1951, just a few months after Khathing had taken control over Tawang. One can imagine what would have happened if Khathing had not ‘liberated’ Tawang and the surrounding area in time.”
Who was Bob Khathing?
Ranenglao ‘Bob’ Khathing was born on February 28, 1912, in Manipur’s Ukhrul district. He was a Tangkhul Naga. He studied at Sir Johnstone High School in Imphal and did his matriculation from Shillong before joining Cotton College in Guwahati. He joined Ukhrul High School as its Head Master. He also founded a school at Harasingha in Assam’s Darrang district.
In 1939, after the Second World War broke out, Khathing joined the Indian Army and got an Emergency Commission as an officer.
What is the record of his Army service?
In a short period of time, Bob Khathing was not only given the coveted award of Member of British Empire (MBE) for his role in galvanising Naga support against the Japanese in Burma and India, but also the Military Cross (MC) for his acts of bravery above and beyond the call of duty.
Bob was commissioned into the 9/11 Hyderabad Regiment (now Kumaon Regiment). In 1942, he was transferred to the Assam Regiment in Shillong.
During the Second World War, he was part of a guerrilla outfit called Victor Force, raised by the British to combat the Japanese on the Burma-India road. Later, another force known as SANCOL, comprising 153 Gurkha Parachute Battalion, was formed in June 1944 under command of Major John Saunders, and Bob Khathing was appointed Advisor to this force.
Lightly equipped with only two days’ rations, SANCOL was tasked with tracking Japanese soldiers around Tangkhul Hundung and preventing them from escaping to the southeast.
The citation for award of MC to Khathing says he was of the greatest assistance in the success of the operations. “He is known and respected by the Naga population from Kohima to Humine. He organised and controlled a most efficient system of obtaining information from villagers. He imbued them with the spirit to fight against the Japanese and to give the troops every assistance. He organised the collection of supplies for the column. Without him it would not have been possible for the column to live on the country and so carry out its task. Not only was Captain Khathing tireless in his duties as adviser to the commander, but he also took part in several most successful ambushes,” it says.
What did Bob Khathing do after the war ended?
At the end of the Second World War, the Emergency Commissioned officers in the Army were demobilised. Known to be very close to the then Maharaja Kumar Priyabrata Singh of Manipur, Khathing joined the then interim government as minister in charge of the hill areas.
In 1949, when Manipur merged with India, the interim government was dissolved and he joined the Assam Rifles. Khathing served with the 2nd Assam Rifles Battalion for two years.
In 1951, he joined the Indian Frontier Administrative Service as an assistant political officer. He went on to serve as Deputy Commissioner of Mokokchung (in Nagaland), Development Commissioner in Sikkim, and Chief Secretary of Nagaland. His career ended as ambassador to Burma in 1975 — making him possibly the first person of tribal origin to be appointed ambassador in independent India. He died in Imphal on January 12, 1990.
The Major Ralengnao ‘Bob’ Khathing Museum of Valour is in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. (Photo: X/@JM_Scindia) 
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