Subedar Major and Honorary Captain Lachhman Dass, Vir Chakra awardee and the last serving member of one of the Siachen conflict’s most important and defining incidents, bids adieu to a life of illustrious service in the Indian Army. Among the many India Pakistan conflicts that marked the 1980s was the crucial June 1987 battle that saw Indian troops wrest the key Qaid Post (subsequently named Bana Top) from the enemy.
Subedar Major and Honorary Captain Lachhman Dass
The battles for Siachen
The 1980s were a tumultuous and defining time for the Siachen Glacier prior to which it had been uninhabited. The strategic height of the glacier gives a tactical advantage to the military, a fact that became clear to both sides at about this time. In what is called the world’s first “oropolitical” conflict, there have been many battles that have shaped the geography and the history of Siachen.
There was Operation Meghdoot in 1984 and then the decisive operation of June-July 1987 when Indian forces wrested victory out of the jaws of near certain defeat in a clash for the then Qaid Post. This post overlooked the key post of Bilafond La and permitted Pakistanis to overlook Indian military activities.
It was vital that that this position be captured by the Indians for strategic reasons. However, the task was formidable because the vantage point of the post itself made it impossible for anyone to approach undetected. Under the direction of Brig. Gen. Chandan Nugyal, the team consisting of Major Varinder Singh, Lt. Rajiv Pande and Naib Subedar Bana Singh and others including Lachhman Dass, who was just 22 then, launched a heroic attack and captured the post.
Why that final assault was vital
Three previous missions to capture the key post had failed. The final assault was launched following our soldiers going without food or sleep for three days, after which on 26 June 1984, the Indian team launched a two pronged attack consisting of two teams of 8 and 5 soldiers from different directions. Bana Singh’s team of 5 men, which included Lachhman Dass led the final assault from an unexpected, more difficult direction, climbing an ice wall 1,200 feet high using a rope to take the enemy by surprise. Under cover of a blizzard, the Pakistani bunker was captured with the help of hand grenades and fierce hand to hand combat.
The post was renamed Bana Top after the heroic soldier who was awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his incredible valour in the battle. Subsequent attempts by the Pakistani army to regain the post including Operation Qaidat under then Brig. Gen Pervez Musharraf failed and it remains Bana Post in Indian control to this date.
As the country mourns the loss of its Miracle Man Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, who succumbed to his injuries, another hero of Siachen, Subedar Major and Honorary Captain Lachhman Dass hangs up his boots.
Author – Reena Daruwalla
