MUNDGOD: It was not their war. But they fought and laid down their lives for our country. Hundreds of soldiers of Tibetan origin, who were part of Special Frontier Force (SFF), fought along with the Indian Army in the 1971 war. They also became an important part in the Bangla Liberation War.
In the last five decades, about 53 Tibetan soldiers have laid down their lives on the front lines.
On the occasion of Vijay Diwas on Wednesday, 36 war veterans paid their respect to those who lost their lives in the war. They gathered at the war memorial at Doeguling Tibetan Settlement in Mundgod of Uttara Kannada district. The programme was led by Lhagpa Tsering, who is the Tibetan Settlement Officer of Mundgod.
Soon after the SFF was formed, many of the young soldiers in their early 20s, set off to fight the Pakistani Army from the northern parts of present Bangladesh. “When we reached Chittagong Hill Tracts region via Guwahati, we were confronted with the Pathan Regiment of the Pakistan Army. We were able to take over the post in less than 30 minutes,” recalled Tsering Choephel, Assistant Political Leader, SFF, Mundgod.
‘SFF members have given Army an edge’
“We went on liberating one post after another till we reached Chittagong in a month’s time. The terrain was the most difficult one but our soldiers were able to make it through,” added Tsering Choephel, Assistant Political Leader, SFF, Mundgod. “Tibetan soldiers from the North Columns fought bravely and stood their ground, ensuring the defeat of the enemy. Four soldiers from Mundgod settlement lost their lives in the 1971 war along with several others from the SFF,” he pointed out.
Another veteran, Tsering Tamding, who is now 80 years old, has another heroic story. It was not even three months when he had joined training and he volunteered to fight the Pakistan Army. He joined his forces from the North-Eastern side and raided parts of present Bangladesh from Nagaland. “I was still under training when I joined the SFF column. The new recruits were trained even during their march towards East Pakistan. It was snowing, but we were determined to fight the war,” he said.
Amruth Joshi, National Secretary, Bharat Tibetan Sahayog Manch, said that the members of SFF, who are born mountaineers have always given the Indian Army an edge over its opponents in battles fought on the ice-capped mountains of the Himalayas. “Be it the Indo-Pak Wars (1965, 1971) or Operation Vijay in Kargil (1999), the soldiers from SFF have been in the forefront of protecting Indian borders. There is a long-pending demand to honour these veterans who fought wars for us,” he said.