War Hero:- Major

Major Shaitan Singh Bhati, PVC (1 December 1924 – 18 November 1962) was an officer and recipient of the , 's highest military decoration. Singh was born in . On completing his graduation, Singh joined the State Forces. He was transferred to the after the princely state of Jodhpur was merged into India. He took part in operations in the Naga Hills and also in the 1961 Indian .

Military career After the princely state of Jodhpur was merged into India, Singh was transferred to the Kumaon Regiment. He was promoted to captain on 25 November 1955,[6] and took part in operations in Naga Hills and also in 1961 Indian annexation of Goa. On 11 June 1962, he was promoted to the rank of major.

Param Vir Chakra During the 1962 Sino-Indian War, 13th Battalion of Kumaon Regiment was stationed in the sector. C Company, under the command of Singh, was holding a position at . In the morning hours of 18 November 1962, the Chinese attacked. After several unsuccessful attacks from the front, the Chinese attacked from the rear. The Indians fought until their last rounds, before eventually being overpowered by the Chinese. During the battle, Singh continuously moved from post to post reorganizing the defences and boosting the morale of his men. As he moved between the posts without any cover, he was seriously wounded, and later succumbed to his injuries. For his actions on 18 November 1962, Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra.

Heroic moment Major Shaitan Singh was commanding a company of an Ahir infantry battalion deployed at Rezang La in the Chusul sector at a height of about 16,000 feet. The locality was isolated from the main defended sector and consisted of five platoon-defended positions. On 18 November 1962, the Chinese forces subjected the company position to heavy artillery, mortar and small arms fire and attacked it in overwhelming strength in several successive waves. Against heavy odds, our troops beat back successive waves of enemy attack. During the action, Major Shaitan Singh dominated the scene of operations and moved at great personal risk from one platoon post to another sustaining the morale of his hard-pressed platoon posts. While doing so he was seriously wounded but continued to encourage and lead his men, who, following his brave example fought gallantly and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. For every man lost to us, the enemy lost four or five. When Major Shaitan Singh fell disabled by wounds in his arms and abdomen, his men tried to evacuate him but they came under heavy machine-gun fire. Major Shaitan Singh then ordered his men to leave him to his fate in order to save their lives. Major Shaitan Singh's supreme courage, leadership and exemplary devotion to duty inspired his company to fight almost to the last man.

In 1980s, the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), a enterprise under the aegis of the Ministry of Shipping, named fifteen of its crude oil tankers in honour of the PVC recipients. The tanker MT Major Shaitan Singh, PVC was delivered to SCI in 1985, and served for 25 years before being phased out. On 2017 a movie starring Shehzaad Khan as Shaitan Singh directed by Pankaj Sehgal was released. Major Shaitan Singh's name has come to signify heroism beyond words.

Jai Hind Thank you. By Cdt. Sejal Sharma 1 Mah Armd Sqn Mumbai B Group