Blindrunning Bharat: Bihar in Galwan

LAC saw action in Galwan Valley on the night of 15^th June. Col B Santosh Babu, the experienced and cool-headed Telugu Commanding Officer of 16 Bihar Regiment was manhandled by belligerent Chinese border troops in a treacherous meeting. Before this, several soldiers from both sides had suffered serious injuries in a similar brawl near Pangong lake on 5^th May. China illegally claims Galwan Valley like it illegally claims half the world and for the same reason. Recent engagements at LAC seem to be a humbling experience for the self-claimed self-important CCP.

LAC

Galwan Valley

Pagong Lake

On 15^th June, PLA miscalculated the nefarious plan in terms of (i) the Indian Commanding Officer walking in instead of the Company Commander (ii) Bihar. Prime Minister's acknowledgement of the Bihari valour in Galwan resonates widely and deeply. Of late, Bihari the word has become profanity and Bihari the man has become a punching bag. For Western Uttar Pradesh, Bihar starts from Eastern Uttar Pradesh. For Punjab, Bihar starts from Uttar Pradesh. The state of Bihar’s repute is so bad that a Haryana born leader who has studied in Bengal and worked in Bihar can win elections in Delhi despite using the word 'Bihari' disparagingly.

People who feel superior to Biharis should know some facts. Bihar Regiment’s victory over mortal fear in the valley of Galwan is a guide to greatness. The regiment has origins in the Bengal Native Infantry raised by the British East India Company. Robert Clive was impressed by Bihari courage in the Battle of Plassey so he raised the 34th Sepoy Battalion entirely with soldiers from Bhojpur, Shahabad and Munger regions of present-day Bihar. Biharis saw action in Buxar, Carnatic and Maratha Wars. They fought in Malaya, Sumatra and Egypt.

When the higher duty called in 1857, Biharis did what Ashok had done by choosing Dharma over self. All 18 Bihar battalions were disbanded and all recruitment from the state was stopped. Bihari soldiers were called to duty once again in WWII. 1 Bihar Regiment was raised again on September 15, 1941 by generous help from the senior 11/19 Hyderabad Regiment. Indian military tradition of cooperation and mutual respect was being cemented despite the chaos. Long before them, Bimbisara of Haryanka dynasty had forged a fort between Ganga and Son, Gaya and Patna by replacing the older capital Girivraja-Rajagriha with Patliputra, powered by gifts of iron, fertile soil and elephant corps.

Babu Kunwar Singh

Bimbisara and Siddhartha

By selecting the Ashokan Lion Capital as the Bihar Regimental Crest, the then Officiating Commanding Officer 1st Bihar Battalion Captain M Habibullah Khan Khattak honoured Bihar’s contribution to the national idea of India. Bihar is a land where a barber can aspire to imperial dignity. It turns men into mahatmas. The Aitreya Brahmana talks about Bihar, “In this eastern quarter, whatever kings there are of the eastern people, they are anointed for an imperial rule (Samrajya). They style him as emperor (Samrat)”

Habibullah Khan Khattak

The Battalion was honoured in WWII with the Haka and the Gangaw for valour in Burma. 2 Bihar fought with distinction in Malaya as part of the ‘zipper force’ under a Sikh from Ludhiana - Lt Col Sant Singh. Many years later, the Bihari in the lieutenant colonel chose Dharma when PM Nehru named General KS Thimayya as the Chief of Army staff by superseding Lt Gen Sant Singh (Eastern Command).

Bihar regiment fought in Indo-Pak Wars of 1965 and 1971. 1st Battalion Bihar Regiment took part in ‘Operation Vijay’ during the 1999 Kargil War against Pakistan. 1 Bihar snatched Jubar Hill and Tharu from Pakistani jaws. Bihar Regiment has assisted UN Peace Missions in Somalia and Congo. Bihar Regiment serves four Rashtriya Rifles battalions 4RR, 24RR, 47RR, 63RR with the same distinction and vigour as Bihar has served the idea of India.

Major Mariappan Saravanan - The Hero of Batalik and his father Lieutenant Colonel A Mariappan

India as an idea was cradled in Patliputra (present-day Patna). Bihar is the geographical heartland of Bharat for all practical purposes. The Bihar regiment fought the fierce July 15 battle for an entire night, defending Patrol Point 14 against a bigger, better-equipped ‘army’ for the idea of India Bihar had thought millennia ago. The second hand-to-hand brawl (in a series of three) was spread over different pockets across the LAC, with nearly 300 men fighting each other in different groups. Both sides called for backup which led to the third and final brawl before dawn broke. The fact that the smaller Indian force was acclimatized to the altitude while the larger Chinese force was new helped a lot.

PP14

Ghatak platoons took the fight to the enemy to push the aggressive Chinese build-up away from the LAC. In their mad dash in face of a formidable foe, Bihar regiment successfully restored the Bihari pride by following in footsteps of the ancient imperial Magadh, Mauryas, Nandas and Guptas. It is said that the Kargil war helped Punjab reunite with India after an estrangement suffered in the 1980s. The ‘minor’ battle of Galwan has done the same for Bihar in a ‘minor’ way.

Ghatak platoon

The Prime Minister’s kind words are balm for the much-tortured hapless poor inheritors of the erstwhile imperial greatness that once birthed empires and religions, a people ambitious and industrious, a dignified people raring to go, a people looking for the right leader. By the way, did I mention Bihar regiment respected the agreement of not bringing guns to fights at LAC? Sun Tzu cheated yet Chanakya prevailed because Bihar has a long history of dealing with Chinese tourists.