Qila Darhal: The Jammu village which repulsed a Pakistani invasion on its own

22-Bhagwan-Singh-Ishar-Singh-Basant-Singh-and-Raghubir-Singh Brave hearts: Bhagwan Singh, Ishar Singh, Basant Singh and Raghubir Singh in front of the memorial at Shaheedgarh | Arvind Jain

Sardar Basant Singh was barely 13 when Pakistanis attacked border villages of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in September 1947. The invaders, who were backed by the Pakistan army, captured several villages and towns. But Qila Darhal, Basant’s village near Nowshera town in the Jammu region, held out. Basant still remembers the heroic resistance put up by about 50 villagers, who kept the invaders at bay for 54 days—from September 4 to October 28—until Jammu and Kashmir acceded to the Indian Union and the Indian Army joined the battle. The feat has not many parallels in Indian history.

The villagers of Qila Darhal erected a memorial in 1952 to honour the brave hearts; Shaheedgarh is perhaps the only war memorial in India dedicated to civilians.
As the Army faces a growing manpower shortage, it needs the help and support of the locals who can serve as its eyes and ears, especially in the forward areas. At Qila Darhal, the villagers seem eager to carry forward their glorious tradition.

“We were just about 50, against hundreds of invaders. We fought with country-made rifles and gave them a tough fight which they never anticipated,” Basant told THE WEEK, which is the first national publication to meet the heroes of Qila Darhal. The villagers erected a memorial in 1952 to honour the brave hearts; Shaheedgarh is perhaps the only war memorial in India dedicated to civilians. The 12ft-high marble and granite memorial on a 4ft-high platform carries the names of the martyrs.

Every year, on October 28, the commander of the Nowshera Brigade of the Indian Army pays homage at Shaheedgarh, and a fair is organised to commemorate their valour. The villagers say the event has helped cement the bond between the civilians and the Army.

Nowshera is a strategically important town on the old Mughal Road, which connects Srinagar to Lahore. In 1586, emperor Akbar conquered Kashmir valley, and his son Jahangir constructed forts and wells along the route for travellers and the royal caravan. Noor Mahal at Nowshera still stands, where Jahangir’s beloved consort, Noor Jahan, used to stay during her trips to Kashmir. Qila Darhal, inhabited mostly by Sikhs, lies 20km northwest of Nowshera.

After the partition of India, a war-like situation erupted in Jammu and Kashmir. Hari Singh, the maharaja of Kashmir, refused to join India or Pakistan after the Indian Independence Act was passed by the British parliament. The king wanted to sign a standstill agreement with both countries, which would guarantee the continuation of all existing arrangements with the British government. Pakistan signed the agreement immediately, and used it to take control of communication channels, telegraph services and transport facilities in Kashmir.

On September 4, small bands of armed mercenaries, backed by the Pakistan army, raided border villages and started looting and killing civilians. Supply lines of food, fuel and other essential commodities to Kashmir were cut off.

While many villages surrendered, a small group of villagers led by Jathedar Ram Singh and Subedar Ranjit Singh resisted the invaders at Qila Darhal. Ranjit Singh, a World War II veteran, trained the villagers in guerrilla warfare. Even a small group of women led by Sardarni Bhagh Singh participated in the war alongside their husbands.

Celebration of courage: Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Nowshera to celebrate Diwali with soldiers | PTI Celebration of courage: Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Nowshera to celebrate Diwali with soldiers | PTI

While Basant survived the battle, his father, Sardar Ram Singh, was killed in action. “We were given some 20 odd country-made rifles by the maharaja’s army to counter the invaders, who came by the hundreds. But we put up a brave fight and kept the invaders out,” said Basant, whose task as a bal sainik (he was a boy soldier as he was under 18 years of age) was to deliver messages and weapons.

Raghubir Singh, 82, former headmaster of a government school in Nowshera, said Hari Singh’s army was not big enough to counter an invasion. “Anticipating danger, the people of Qila Darhal, irrespective of caste and religion, came together in the first week of September,” he said. “We started preparing for our defence with whatever little resources we had. We also stored sufficient ration and other essential commodities for six months. His father, Hukum Singh, died in the attack.

Raghubir has many stories about the bravery of the villagers. He spoke about the martyrdom of young Bhagat Lal Chand. “We were short of arms and ammunition,” he said. “So, we sought help from Colonel Naran Singh of the maharaja’s force, whose post was about 8km away. Bhagat Lal Chand was young and energetic, and he volunteered to carry the handwritten note. But he was caught and brutally murdered by the invaders.”

Raghubir wants more recognition from the Army for the Qila Darhal martyrs. “We are not asking for money. A letter of appreciation to acknowledge their selfless supreme sacrifice would be enough,” he said. His son Shabinder Singh, an inspector with the Jammu and Kashmir Police, said Jammu would have been the border with Pakistan, but for the brave hearts of Qila Darhal and Nowshera.

Evergreen memory: Pictures of martyrs outside the Shaheedgarh gurudwara | Arvind Jain Evergreen memory: Pictures of martyrs outside the Shaheedgarh gurudwara | Arvind Jain

While villagers in Nowshera managed to hold back the invaders, further up north, Hari Singh’s regular forces were getting routed. Thousands of tribal mercenaries and the Pakistan army captured Muzaffarabad on October 22, while Baramulla fell on October 26. Alarmed, Hari Singh signed the instrument of accession with the Indian government on October 26, and the Indian forces flew into Srinagar the next morning.

The Indian Army’s battle for Nowshera was led by Brigadier Mohammad Usman, known as Nowshera ka sher (the lion of Nowshera). Brigadier Usman, who headed the 50th Parachute Brigade, was the highest-ranking officer to die in action during the first India-Pakistan war in 1947-48. He was awarded Maha Vir Chakra, the second-highest military decoration. But before Brigadier Usman and his troops arrived, there were the villagers of Qila Darhal.

“For over 50 days, we did not allow the enemy to move further, till the Indian Army took over,” said Basant. “We lost 10 of our brave men and we are proud of them. So, every year, we celebrate their valour and sacrifice.” Basant was felicitated by prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru during his visit to Jammu later in 1947. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, thanked him for helping the Indian forces and protecting the country, not just in 1947, but also in the wars of 1965 and 1971. Modi was in Nowshera on November 4 to celebrate Diwali with soldiers.

As the Army faces a growing manpower shortage, it needs the help and support of the locals who can serve as its eyes and ears, especially in the forward areas. At Qila Darhal, the villagers seem eager to carry forward their glorious tradition. “We have been ready for war since 1947. As we live in a border village, we are constantly under threat. I am still ready to take on the enemy, even though my age and health do not support me,” said Bhagwan Singh, 76, who played a key role in the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan and also in several anti-terrorist operations of the Army. Acknowledging the importance of local people, the Army set up Village Defence Committees (VDCs) in the mid-1990s in the Chenab valley area of Jammu and Kashmir. The VDC members get training in weapon handling and maintenance, and marksmanship.

Basant’s great-grandson Jasvinder Singh, a schoolteacher, spoke about Qila Darhal’s rich tradition of serving in the armed forces. “The brave stories of our elders have inspired generations to join the military. Our village has produced several soldiers who have fought multiple wars,” he said. Captain Sunder Singh from Qila Darhal was awarded the Ashok Chakra, India’s highest peacetime military decoration, for bravery against the Pakistan army at Hussainiwala border near Ferozepore, Punjab, in March 1956. Similarly, 12 young soldiers from Qila Darhal and adjoining villages died in the Kargil war in 1999.

The legacy of bravery is being passed on to the next generation. At the Shaheedgarh memorial, THE WEEK met Jasbir Kaur and her two children. “We come here with our children because they should know about their glorious past,” said the 40-year-old, who has been visiting the memorial since she was a child. “We must inculcate in them a strong sentiment in favour of our nation.”

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