Sukkhi my buddy, my shadow, my man.

Today the 06 Dec 2007 sitting in the AMCEDP hostel of IIT Kharagpur when I look back at my life as to what I was before 5 years and what I had then and what i have lost, post 06 Dec 2002 my eyes have nothing to see, heart nothing to feel or complain, yea I am just thankful that I am alive. Alive to see my wife and see my kid grow up. Yea it is a miracle that I have survived the injury when even doctors had very little hope, may be God has something in store for me or may be that was not my day to die, may be.
Looking at the incidents that happened with me like everybody I too want to have some changes in the past to make if I can. Let me take you all to some Seven years back when I was commanding a company in one of the Rashtriya Rifles Battalion. My company location was not that bad. It was located on the fringe of forest and there was a road some 1 KM to the south of my company location. My company was always on threat cause being on the fringe of forest it was always a likely target for the militants to fire and then run away. Hence it was always a herculean task to keep such incidents from taking place though I was successful most of the time but luck could not be always kind to me and I had my share of bad luck bad timing bad day and of course a decision which afterwards proved to be a wrong one. Well that is life and that is how one learns.I was posted in this Battalion in Oct 2000. Sukhvinder must have come to my company some where in month of Aug/ Sept of 2001. His parent unit was Mahar Regt.
The convoy bringing the men to my company location use to come at around 1600hrs or these men use to stay in battalion headquarters for the night and then use to reach my company location next day or at times after 3 to 4 days depending upon the situation in battalion headquarters. Rfn Sukhwinder came along with me to the company location. A young boy of hardly 20-21 years. Thin but very fit and smartly turned out sardar came and saluted me with the precision of book. I spoke to him for a min and walked with the column to my company location some 12 KM from the battalion headquarters.
Next day morning along with other men who had come back from leave and temporary duty he too was marched for my interview called as the company commander's interview. When he spoke to me there was some thing which had said to me that he is the man that will be best for the role I was looking. My old QRT was soon to be disintegrated cause the men were due for their posting and were soon to be returned to their parent units. Sukhi was teased by his parent unit boys and use to call him a coward and all. That evening I called my QRT NCO and asked him as to why all this is going on and the answer he gave left me astonished. Once in his native village some boys were teasing him and instead of fighting, this chap ran away from that place which was very uncharacteristic of an infantry soldier.
So once on firing range I met Sukhi and gave him some hard targets to fire at and I was surprised with the accuracy of his fire. Over a period of time I tested him by sending on LP and stay back parties and was following his performance record very closely and was happy to find that he was really doing fine. So once after Company commander's darbar I called him for a ch at and asked him as to why the boys are teasing him and he shyly narrated the incidence and concluded by saying that he did not want to get into fight cause he did not want to have trouble for his family after he left for his duties so at times it is better to just avoid confrontation and let the things take its own course. That very moment I decided that he will be the lead man of my QRT and I started to train him myself and started taking him on operations where i use to select the best amongst the best.
In due course Rfn Rawat my no 1 guide went back to his unit and Sukhi took his place to the surprise of many boys as to why I gave him that position. As days went by Sukhi and I became very close and use to understand each other very well. Over a period of time I understood his walking style and use to sense his apprehension about some place by the change in his walking speed and the pauses which he use to make. He was so loyal to his duties as a buddy that he use to not leave me alone even for a minute when i was outside the company locations. I use to go to many civilians houses for tea and all or to meet my sources, this person use to scan the room first see every thing personally and then use to stand outside the door as a guard to me. So much was his devotion that even in battalion headquarters when i use to go to meet the commanding officer he use to keep his weapon and my weapon with him and use to stand out side the CO's office. Many a times my CO said to him to not stand there but he use to just smile move out and again use to come and stand for me there. CO gave up and said Rahul you have a boy who will stand by you in all times. The wise old man would never have been more correct.
Days became week, weeks into month and time flew away to see the second snow fall together. In the month of November 2002, Delta company killed three militants and one of them was from my area of responsibility. On o6 of DEC 2002 was Ramzan Eid and there was a general alert in whole of J&K state and also whole of India cause this date coincides with Babri Majjid issue too. Usually on the day of Eid army is busy keeping the area under surveillance and almost all the convoy and all planned moves are stopped. It was around 1000hrs that I received a call on my radio set from one of intelligence corps that a militant was seen a night before in a village called Yankee and that he was seen in a house of one Hassan Dar. I thought over it and concluded that the militant must have had dinner and must have gone by now cause my experience said that no matter what happens the militants never stay in the same village for more time. Moreover I had no man power to launch any operation against it. As it can happen I recieved another call at around 1200hr that the same militant was seen again in the morning in the same village.
Then I spoke to the adjutant of the battalion and was told to speak to CO who was not in the battalion headquarter and presently is out so I can speak with him on radio set. I spoke to him and told him about the same. He did not seemed much interested for obvious reason that the area was not in our territory and if militant is there then why are they telling us to operate why cant the responsible unit do something about it. I convinced my CO to let me go, and if the information is true then we will get the militants or other wise our presence will become a deterrent for the militants to come freely in the village. CO got convinced and permitted me to go. It was 1245hr now and I did not have manpower also cause my men were already deployed at places. I was still at a place far off from my company location and I was on foot doing patrolling. It was 1330hr when I reached my company location. There I finally got the man power tally and I was not able to pull out more then 14 men for the operation.
Gave 10 min for my men to have there lunch and I spent the time in planning the operation. The problem was that the village was not in my Area of Responsibility hence I had no records of the village. No records of the militants nor any surrendered militants in that village. Being the day of Eid the brigade under which the village came was busy in its adm work and all cause the main troops were on LC and only handful for guard duties and adm work were present. This village was bang on the road with its southern boundary touching the road and the north was the dense forest. So if I would have approached the village from the south i.e the road the militants if present would have time and they would have run away in the forest. Hence I planned to approach the village from the north i.e the forest side and have the element of surprise with me.
The village was some 5km west from my location. We were say about 1 km short of it in another village by about 1430hr. There we took some students who knew about out target house and agreed to escort us. So from that village short of 1km from the target village we started our climb Northward into the forest and were in the thick of it about 500 mtr and then changed our course towards West to approach the target village from the north at a distance of 500 mtr towards north of the target village. From a vantage point the students showed us the target house and the final briefing I gave to the men from the vantage point indicating not only the group commanders but also the individual men so that there is no confusion and no collateral damage considering the sanctity of that day. Our move was so swift that no one came to know as to when did we entered the village and it was only when we cordoned the house and made the announcement that the village people came to know that army is in side there village. That was the level of surprise which we as as team were able to achieve which took a long time and lot of rigorous long hours of practice which we as a team of 15 men use to do a requirement in Rashtriya Rifles if you have to be successful in this hostile and unfriendly terrain. The last stop was at position at around 1610hr that means we had only 45min for complete checking because the visibility of 10 mtr is only till 1700hr in month of Dec in Kashmir Valley. Sukkhi was with me checking the stops and also planning and reading my mind.
My team was so much use to my way of functioning that our total communication was in terms of field signal and also few which we had modified and invented ourself.
They use to know what exactly is expected of them and Sukkhi use to keep a mental account of everything cause when I was on the radio set he use to be protecting me with his cover fire and also taking care of the field communication if some one of my team wanted to communicate with me. That level of understanding we had which requires lot and lot of practice and mutual faith and understanding which we had amongst us.
At around 1620 our search started. I took three men with me. Only one was the old timer Sukkhi, one was a bit exp Rfn Giri and the third was new, I took him cause I had to train him and since this information was not that reliable so I wanted him to have the feel of it.The fear of facing death and the fear of caught alive by the militants haunts every one which makes you more cautious and caution makes you serious in training. So in we went to find the basement empty, the ground floor empty , the first floor nothing, second floor nothing.
Here now only the roof was remaining. I and Sukkhi were buddies and Giri and fourth Kartara were the buddies. We finished our part and were moving with cover and fire drill and was approaching the steps to move up when I called for Giri and he took his time to answer which was normal as men are more quit due to fear of unknown.
Then he's reply came ' Sabji aa rahae hai '. Sukkhi was getting impatient by the delay cause we were being exposed and were in open cause we needed them to cover our move as we to go up the stair case. The moment Sukkhi heard this he stepped on the stair case with a slight whistle to catch my attention and i was giving the cover fire. As Giri came out of the room he and Kartara gave us the fire cover and i started up the stair case.
The moment I was on the second step a militant popped from behind the drum and we shot at each other. The moment the firing started Sukkhi as a trained soldier jumped out on the roof and in no time there was firing every where. I was badly hit and i saw the militants gun coming down the steps sliding. I was thrown up like a ball I still remember and I use to laugh as to how they show it in the movies but believe me it happens in reality cause i too was in the air for short duration. Then it started every thing. I asked the radio operator Gnr Jhonson to confirm to Adjt that contact established. likely hood of more militants in the house require reinforcement which i had earmarked in my company just in case required and also told them that I have been hit.
After some time I took control of the situation and was calling for Sukkhi. But no reply. As i was telling the men outside what to do I was told that the other two men who were there have come out of the house due too no protection for them and they moved out cause the bullets were flying every where. As I was looking out of the window I caught some movement by the side of my eye and by the natural reflex, pressed the trigger and I was able to shoot the militant who must have come to check about my well being. This was the second militant that I was able to kill. But this increased the confusion as to from where has this militant come . Every thing was searched then from where did this militant has come. So the cruel thought came to mind that may be he has come from top and probably Sukkhi has attained martyrdom.
By now there was lot of blood loss from my body and my eyes were getting blurred that was the indication that my happy birthday was near. But I did not wanted to die cause the training teaches you that you are not dead till you decide that you are dead. So ......hey wait this is for Sukkhi not for me. Enough of what has happened to me that has got enough awards and accolades from the press and govt so here is what is Sukkhi's role.
OK I will tell you how i came out of that room, it was easy, with my complete blood soaked body I jumped from a height of 50 feet on the hard ground.
Then I was admitted to hospital for two years almost for some or the other thing. I was operated 4 times on my stomach so I said to the doctor why dont he put a zipper on my stomach it will save him the trouble of tearing and stitching me always.
I asked about Sukkhi and I was told that he is fine and has been saved with minor cuts and abrasion. I was still in the critical stage being shifted to one place to other. I was sinking with days. Sheetal was with me in the hospital. She saw me in the worst condition and it was mess.
After almost 8 months when I was mentally stable and my continuous asking about Sukkhi's where about and why has he not come to see me cause my ward was like someplace where every one came to meet me, any body who is going on leave or coming back they use to meet me. I still remember my clerk had come to see me and get the bonds and other documents to be signed he started to cry and was not able to control himself. Sheetal had to control him and what he said I still remember. He had said that when Maj sahab use to come to battalion head quarter we use to see him smiling and whistling and today seeing him in this condition was not bearable.
Finally in 8th month i was told that Sukkhi attained the martyrdom that very night at around 2000hr -2030hr. He had a radio set with which he was able to speak to my CO. The militants were able to catch him and he was killed. He was so badly killed not even a inch on his body was not there where they did not fired at.His whole body had bullet holes and this is why the doctors did not want me to hear about Sukkhi's end.
The boy whom I trained and made the man out of him was no more was like losing a younger brother for me. That is my Sukkhi the man I lost and may be his unknown deeds helped me to jump form the house otherwise i would have been killed by them.
Lot has happened but i thing this is dedicated to my Sukkhi so you will be able to read about me some time else cause I believe he deserves this blog.

SUKKHI MY FRIEND AND BUDDY. YOU WILL ALWAYS LIVE WITH ME . YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY INSPIRATION TO MOVE ON IN LIFE.

May you rest in peace. Will meet some day and will do soldiering there too.

Friends daily many Sukkhi's die so when ever you see a soldier dont feel pity if he is using a crutch but feel proud of him that he has done his job well and he deserves a little bit of respect. JAIHIND and my salutation to all Sukhhies of the Indian Army.