Ready and raring to go, 1 2 Bana? 4 Bana is first 5 NAIB SUBEDAR /HON CAPT to reach ... But the the top The jawans BANA SINGH men brave the break conditions and open the keep climbing bunker door SIACHEN 1987 and lob 8 grenades June 1987 Pakistanis had set up Quaid post on Siachen. The domi- nating heights allowed them to fire at Indian posts. The Indian army launched an operation to evict them. 8 Yes sir, we JAKLI was to do the honours shall not fail you 6 3 The heavy snow will give us cover, come THE LIVING on boys… LEGENDS 7 That’s them! INDIA’S FINEST Three war heroes who exemplify courage and patriotism. Read their stories in a comic strip by Rishi Kumar The troops encounter a heavy snowstorm, almost blinding them There are only three principles of warfare — audacity, audacity and audacity” —famous The explosion draws the attention 9 Bana sees them coming 10 11 12 SIACHEN HERO words from American World War II hero, George of Pakistani troops nearby and they Take that S Patton. come to investigate Eventually, the weather clears Leading a five-man army, Bana Singh, Sanjay Kumar and Yogendra Yadav have Bana Singh launched a fierce no link to Patton —other than the audacity they showed Pak1: What assault on the Quaid post “ was that, are in different conflicts for India, courageous feats that won we under held by the Pakistani army them the country’s highest wartime gallantry award, the attack? in April 1987. They killed five Param Vir Chakra. They are also the only three surviving Aieee 13 Pakistani soldiers before Indian soldiers to proudly wear that medal on their chests. There, get them! reclaiming the post, which the Today, on Republic Day, we honour them by bringing Pakistanis had taken in the their stories to you in the exciting graphic novel format. That’s a great early 1980s. That post is now Singh scripted his tale of valour on the icy heights of view, sir. We called the Bana post, named the Siachen glacier —the world’s highest and coldest came all the way to see this... after the 8th Jammu and battlefield —in 1987 when the Indian Army recaptured Kashmir Light Infantry man a crucial post from the Pakistanis in a daring assault. who retired as honorary cap- Kumar and Yadav are both Kargil heroes. In the ensuing chaos, some The artwork has tain. Dominating positions on Kumar crawled up a ridge alone amid a hail of bullets enemy troops try to flee been created by but slip into a crevice and the glacier gave the Indian Rishi Kumar, a that tore his chest and forearm apart, inspiring his pla- fall to their deaths freelance Illustrator toon to capture a vantage point, Area Flat Top. Army a huge advantage over based in New Delhi. Pakistani posts located below. Yadav, too, took several bullets in the battle to capture I agree. He is also the creator Tiger Hill, a turning point in the 1999 Kargil conflict. Pakistan had started claiming and publisher of the Victory has The military usually awards the PVC posthumously. its own high possession of the glacier in war comics titled the early 1980s, allowing Siachen: The Cold But Singh, Kumar and Yadav —who received their medals Argh! The post — the highest and toughest War and Battlefield on Independence Day in 1999 —proved they were excep- feature on the glacier — is won. The army foreign mountaineering Siachen. tions to the rule. later names it after Bana Singh expeditions access. Yogendra Yadav is hit 1 2 3 4 1 On seeing the Indian troops 2 The situation gets worse as 4 The Bofors 5 Soon enough, the 7 approaching, the enemy fires the enemy fire halts the rumble into Pakistanis open fire at GRENADIER Argh… RIFLEMAN platoon’s advance action the advancing jawans YOGENDRA SINGH Argh! SANJAY KUMAR Suddenly... YADAV KARGIL 1999 They have pinned us down. I am calling for 5 6 KARGIL 1999 artillery support Let’s move, go go go ... Argh! 3 Night of July 4, 1999 A crack unit, called the ‘Ghatak’ The artillery support allows the platoon, of the 18 Grenadiers Indian troops to gain ground stealthily approaches Tiger Hill from a cliff face. The vantage post Damn! is held by the Pakistanis. The odds We’ve been We’ve been are stacked against our troops spotted, take 10 spotted cover! A jawan loses his Night of July 4, 1999 footing and the tum- ... and is hit bling rocks alert the Sir, this ‘A’ company of 13 JAKRIF is ordered enemy, who open fire bunker is still to capture Area Flat Top in the Bravo 5 to I’ll see Mushkoh valley, where Pakistanis are preventing us what I can Kilo 3, request from moving using artillery fire to disrupt Indian fire support… do. Cover me, Army supply lines. Sanjay Kumar ahead sir… volunteers for the mission Seriously 11 5 6 8 injured, We have Sanjay Come on to do it on gets up and let’s go... our own 8 9 reaches for his gun It must be taken out. We don’t have much 7 time as it will be daybreak soon No more Once near the post, The troops destroy the first enemy artillery. We he lobs a bunker and advance to the next one 13 are very close Take CLIFFHANGER to their post grenade Then he charges at the bunker ONE-MAN AMBUSH Bleeding profusely, he still manages this! aieee to climb 60 feet under heavy enemy Yogendra Singh Yadav was On July 4, 1999, Sanjay fire and crawls unnoticed to the Take this, you part of a ‘Ghatak’ platoon Kumar and his comrades #$%*$# The Pakistanis realize they’ve lost the 15 enemy bunker (crack team) that was advantage and begin to flee but Sanjay were tasked with capturing given the responsibility of is quick to shoot them down Area Flat Top, a crucial fea- capturing the critical Sanjay decides to take down the enemy bunker. He 14 ture held by the Pakistanis. 9 Tiger Hill on July 3, 1999, crawls towards it in the face of heavy firing Barely 150 metres from their 10 during the Kargil war. The objective, heavy machine In a daring Argh! 11 odds were against the gun fire from an enemy assault, Indian soldiers as they had He emerges from the side of the 12 Out of ammunition, he 13 bunker halted their advance. Yadav rushes to climb a cliff to launch the bunker and kills its occupants picks up a heavy enemy Showing steely resolve, towards The second assault on the enemy. As the machine gun and contin- Kumar crawled up the ridge the bunker, bunker falls 12 ues to charge forward guns blazing, too, and bullets came raining down, alone amid a hail of bullets This is for even as the Indian Yadav was hit in the shoulder that tore his chest and fore- the enemy troops move my men... fires back further and groin. A lesser man arm apart. Bleeding heavily, ahead would have given up. But he charged at the enemy towards Get down! Tiger Hill the 18 Grenadiers soldier’s bunker and killed three resolve to complete the enemy soldiers. Inspired by mission never faltered. His Let’s get his daredevilry, the rest of out of here… platoon killed three Pakistani the 13 Jammu and Kashmir The dominating feature is soldiers before recapturing He creeps towards the second Mission complete. Flat Rifles platoon assaulted With the cover fire provided by his soon re-captured by the the post —a turning point Argh! bunker and takes the enemy troops Top Area is back under the feature and captured comrades keeping the Pakistanis hunched Indian Army, thanks to by surprise, killing all of them Indian control by the down, Yadav gets closer to the bunker Yadav’s heroics in the war. morning of July 5, 1999 Area Flat Top. .