Thrice-decorated Major who was called ‘Colonel’ for exemplifying courage

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 29

Not many soldiers get decorated twice for gallantry, and thrice is rarer still. A determined boy from the remote highlands of Himachal Pradesh setting his boots on several battlefields in India and overseas, Major Sudhir Walia personified courage and dedication to duty.

It was in the dense jungles of Kupwara during the early morning of August 29, 25 years ago, that the battle-hardened young officer, all of 31 years, made the supreme sacrifice while fighting terrorists that was recognised with the Ashok Chakra, the highest peacetime award for gallantry and the third decoration for him.

After having served with the Indian Peacekeeping Force in Sri Lanka, he opted to move out form the confines of a cushy job at South Block in New Delhi, where he was the aide-de-camp to then Chief of Army Staff General VP Malik, Major Walia volunteered to join his unit, Ninth Battalion of the Parachute Regiment (9 Para) that was engaged in evicting Pakistani intruders along the Line of Control during the 1999 Kargil conflict. His battalion was subsequently re-deployed for anti-terrorist operations in Kashmir.

His story begins at Banuri village in Kangra district, where his father Rulia Ram Walia, a retired Subedar Major and mother, Rajeswari Devi, resided. After attending the local government school, he toiled hard to get admission to the Sainik School at Sujanpur Tihra, from where he made it to the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla. For his father, it was a matter of intense pride to see his son on his way to become an officer.

After getting commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the Jat Regiment from the Indian Military Academy in June 1988, he proceeded to Sri Lanka. On return, he opted for the Special Forces (SF) and was allotted 9 Para (SF), one of the SF battalions permanently based in Jammu and Kashmir.

On two occasions, he was awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry while combating terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. One was for carrying out covert operations to neutralise several terrorists and destroying their hideouts, and the other for being part of an expedition to scale Mount Brammah-II in the Kishtwar region, that was an armed, fighting expedition aimed at training in extremely challenging conditions. He also had two six-month stints at Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield.

In 1997, he was sent to the United States for a specialised course, in which he excelled. He also addressed a gathering at the Pentagon, headquarters of the US Department of Defence. The book, “Kargil: From Surprise to Victory by Gen Malik”, mentions that it was during this course, that Sudhir was called ‘Colonel’ by his course mates for his competence and professionalism.

When the Kargil War broke out, he obtained special permission from the Army Chief to join the battle. Within 10 days of leaving Delhi, he led an assault team from 9 Para to capture the 17,000-foot high Zulu Top in the Mushkoh Valley. This success had come on July 25, just a day before the war officially ended. The book goes on to mention that when he was asked by the Chief about his attack without needing to acclimatise, Sudhir replied, “Sir, you know that I’m a pahari (native of the mountains). I don’t need acclimatisation.”

Just over a month later came the fateful day. On August 29, 1999, at about 8.30 AM, Major Sudhir Kumar Walia led a squad of five men from 9 Para into the dense undergrowth of Haphruda forest in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. Soon he heard voices of militants but was unable to see them. He along with his buddy crawled uphill and on reaching a knoll, observed two armed militants barely four meters ahead and a large hideout in a depression 15 meters below, according to the citation for his Ashok Chakra.

The officer immediately fired, killing the closest sentry and charged at the second, who jumped back towards the hideout. Major Sudhir, without hesitation charged at the hideout with only his buddy giving him covering fire. The militants, who numbered about 20, were shocked and rushed out in an attempt to flee. The officer singlehandedly grappled with them and firing from a distance of two meters, killed four militants. In this action, however, he was hit on his face, chest and arm and fell down bleeding profusely at the entrance of the hideout. Although unable to move, he called up his troop commanders on the radio and directed them to hold fast and not allow the rest of the militants to escape.

“It was only after 35 minutes when the fire fight stopped that he permitted his evacuation. Bleeding profusely, he continued to pass instructions to his troops on his radio set. He passed away holding his set,” the citation states.

The Ashok Chakra awarded for “displaying most conspicuous gallantry and bravery beyond compare” was received by Major Sudhir Walia’s father from then President KR Narayanan during the Republic Day Parade in 2000. A little distance from his house in Banuri, where a toddler had once dreamed big, a square is dedicated to him.