Letters: The Ladakh angle

Much attention has been focused on the happenings in the North-East Frontier Agency (Nefa) in 1962, but little has been said about the events in Ladakh around the same time. The gutsy stand put up by the soldiers there was a silver lining to the events elsewhere. It may be noted that Ladakh then came under the Western Command, headquartered at Simla (now relocated to Chandimandir), while Nefa was under the Eastern Command, which was headquartered at Lucknow. The Eastern Command moved to Kolkata in 1963 after the Central Command was created. The Northern Command came into being only after 1971. The nature and fury of the resistance and the manner of strategic withdrawals in Ladakh were in complete contrast to the confused scenario surrounding Nefa. It was the leadership at the top that made all the difference. The Western Command's army commander, Lieutenant General Daulet Singh, had the courage to ignore Delhi. Tragically, he died in a helicopter crash later. The Western Command won two Param Vir Chakras, both by middle-level officers who showed grit and determination. In contrast, at the Eastern Command, no one knew who was in charge. The army commander, L P Sen, was happy to leave everything to General B M Kaul, and we all know that "untold" story.

T R Ramaswami Mumbai

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