Officers & Jawans from the 2 RAJRIF pray before going into battle of Tololing Top.

The attack on Tololing commenced at 2030 hrs on the night of 12 June 1999. There was extreme tension in the Operation Room as well as amongst the attacking troops. +

Before the troops left Lt. Col. Ravindranath, CO of 2 Raj Rif, pepped them up and told them that he had given them whatever they wanted and they should give him Tololing in return.+

One fully charged up jawan from the assault team, Sub Bhanwar Lal, told his CO to come to Tololing in the morning, quipping ‘We will have tea there’. The troops left their base with the song ‘Yeh mera India, I love my India’ playing on a small tape recorder. +

When the attack was not going as per plans, Major Vivek Gupta of 2 Raj Rif took the initiative and moved ahead with a reserve platoon and ended up engaging enemy in hand to hand combat. Naik Digender Singh inspite of getting shot in his arm continued to provide cover fire from+

his machine gun. Major Vivek sacrificed his life but his quick action spurred his company to get a foothold on the objective and paved the way for the first major victory for India. On 13th June, in 1999, as promised tea was made but in a helmet as there were no utensils+

on top. While everyone rejoiced, the Commanding Officer of 2 Raj Rif, Lt Col. Ravindranath who ensured hoisting of the Indian flag on Tololing Top, wept. He had lost ten men including Bhanwar Lal who kept his promise about having tea on the top.

In addition 25 others had been seriously wounded. Since the evacuation of the wounded & dead had to be done on stretchers with 4 men carrying them all the way down from the mountain, they had taken with them 12 stretchers. +

But those fell short. His battalion had paid a heavy price to achieve this victory which went on to change the course of the war.

(Source: Bikram Saluja, India On The Road; Lt Gen Puri’s Book ‘Turning The Tide’ & Harinder Baweja’s ‘A Soldier’s Diary’)