Vijey Kumar Ghai

Brigadier Vijey Kumar Ghai, PVSM was an officer of the Indian Army who made a significant contribution during the India-Pakistan War of 1965. He was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) among other decorations. He also served in World War 2 as part of the British Indian Army.

Brigadier Vijey Kumar Ghai PVSM
Born	(1923-09-06)6 September 1923 Rohtas, Jhelum District British India
Died	15 September 2014(2014-09-15) (aged 91) Bangalore, India
Allegiance	British India India
Service/branch	British Indian Army Indian Army
Years of service	1942–1974
Rank	Brigadier
Unit	17 Parachute Regiment (India) 121st (Independent) Infantry Brigade Group
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of Monte Cassino Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo China War 1971
Awards	Param Vishisht Seva Medal

Personal

Vijey Kumar Ghai was born on September 6, 1923, in Rohtas Village of Jhelum district of pre-partition India, to Jairam and Parvati Ghai. He was educated at the Forman Christian (FC) College in Lahore. He was married in February 1947 to Pushplata Bindra from Lahore.

Military career

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

Background

In 1965, at the recommendation of Lt. Gen Harbaksh Singh, Ghai was promoted from Lt. Col. to Brigadier and given independent command and posted as Brigade Commander of the Independent Brigade Group, responsible for 110 miles of the Cease Fire Line (CFL) in the Kargil area.

In 1965, as per official Military accounts, the army was suffering a loss of morale due to the Rann of Kutch defeat in early 1965 and the subsequent occupation of large tracts of Indian territory by the Pakistani army. Pakistani defenses on Point 13620 dominated the Indian positions of Kargil, including the Brigade HQ. The Pakistanis harassed the movement of supplies with gun-fire and made attempts to cross the CFL. Intelligence reports indicated that Pakistan troops were planning extensive raids and sabotage to blow up Indian convoys to Leh and to cut LOC Srinagar-Leg passing close to the CFL in the Kargil Sector. They occupied Black Rocks (No. 1985) and Peak 1 (No. 2086) and Peak 2 (No. 2186).

Orders

Around May 12, 1965, Vijey Ghai convened a conference at HQ. The agenda was not revealed but it started with him reading out the contents of Lt. Gen Harbaksh Singh GOC-in-C Western Command, DO (Demi Official) note to the forces. The Army Commander had reviewed recent skirmishes in Rann of Kutch and commented that "the Pakis were continuing with their belligerent attitude" and spoke about "cultivating a more aggressive spirit in our troops". He also pointedly remarked “has the martial blood in the veins of the Indian Army soldiers dried up?” or words to that effect.

Vijey Ghai had earlier served under General Harbaksh Singh and therefore shared a mutual understanding; the instructions he received now as Brigade Commander were: “do what needs to be done.” After reading out the contents of the DO letter and addressing the Commanding Officer (CO), 4 Rajput, Ghai said "reading between the lines of the Army Commanders DO Letter, I know what he expects of me" and he proceeded to formulate the action plan for attack.

Brigadier Ghai then issued orders to Colonel Sudarshan Singh, CO 4 Rajput, and Colonel KS Bajwa, CO 85 Light Regiment, to capture Pakistan Point 13620 and Black Rocks by 0500 hours on 17 May 1965. He reiterated that it needed to be a silent attack.

Taking of Point 13620 and Black Rocks

This operation was unique in many respects, with the attack launched at night in sub-zero temperatures over very rugged terrain at over 4000 meters. The Men had to go through snow over 45 cm (18 in) deep near Black Rocks, Peak 1 and Peak 2.

A two pronged attack was launched and Point 13620 was captured by 03:30 and Peak 1 and Peak 2 by 04:30. Black Rocks and Saddle fell at 10:30. On May 18, a Pakistani party was sent to blow up the suspension bridge or to blow up convoys, which was successfully intercepted and shot down by the Indian troops. Later, the explosives recovered were shown to UN representatives. Ghai reported that there were 5 Pakistani casualties and none on the Indian side.

On the night of June 4/5, Kala Pahar was secured after heavy fighting from bunker to bunker. After suffering heavy casualties in the above battles, Pakistani troops made another attempt to intrude at Snow Ridge. On Jun 7, 1965 an attack was launched and Snow Ridge was secured by the Indian troops.

This operation turned out to be successful. Speaking about the factors that led to the success in the Kargil Sector, Ghai stated "Detailed and painstaking preparations, simple and sound movements and motivation, followed by bold execution, were key." In regards to motivation he said, "Motivation is best achieved near the enemy under shell fire. The presence of senior officers with troops at this stage was found to be of great value and a spirit of aggressiveness, cheerfulness and the will to win prevailed through the whole command during operations." Colonel Ranbir reports “Brigadier Ghai deserved high praise for his grit and determination and boldness, all qualities expected of a true commander. By taking the all important command decision to capture Point 13620 he became an instant hero. It is also true that if the decision had boomeranged, no one would have stood by him.”

Vijey Ghai's decision to cross the CFL and attack caused a controversy. Maj General KS Bajwa, then Col and the commanding officer of the 85 Light Regiment, in his book argues that the Brigade Commander misled his troops by stating that he had government sanction, and assuring them that once captured, there would be no withdrawal from the hill tops. A dressing down from the Corps Commander followed but he states the Brigadier assured his troops "Withdrawal from here will be over my dead body!" Bajwa also questions the "moral authority of the Brigade Commander". Both of Ghai's role models and superiors, battle commanders, Field Marshal Manekshaw and Lt. Gen. Harbaksh Singh, took on-the-edge decisions that were often considered controversial and risky.

Impact of battle

The order given by Ghai to capture Pt 13620 and Black Rocks was an unprecedented departure from the prevailing policy that held the CFL as inviolate and was also out of character with the passive and diffident Indian policy. Per the official account of the War, this was the first counter-offensive undertaken by Indian troops in years. Its success had a positive effect on the morale of the troops in J&K and the Army as a whole. Politically, it also bolstered the image of the country.

On April 21, 1966, Ghai was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal by the President of India, Mr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in recognition of his contribution to the war.

United Nations intervention

The hard-won gains however were not to last; On June 30, 1965, the Indian troops withdrew in deference to an appeal by The United Nations Secretary General and also agreed to post observers to prevent cease fire line violations by the Pakistanis in this area. Ghai was present with UN Observers during the signing at Kargil sector.

Although there was a positive effect on the political climate, Ghai's immediate superiors considered his actions as stepping out of line and thereafter despite his name coming up, he was not promoted by his superior officer, citing his "impulsive" nature.

British Indian Army during World War II

Vijey Kumar Ghai was commissioned on Sept 13, 1942 at the age of 19 into the 10th Baluch regiment (infantry) of the British Indian Army. The regiment was trained at Baleli in the Quetta district of Balochistan, where weapons practice was conducted in the intense rough weather of storms and high winds to prepare to join WW2.

In 1943, Ghai was posted to the Central Mediterranean Forces in Italy as part of the Italian Campaign. He spent 1943–44 with the 10th Indian Infantry Division, fighting against the German and Italian forces. He participated in the Battle of Monte Cassino. He was awarded the Italy Star for his participation in the Italian Campaign.

Service during the Partition of India 1947

In 1944, Ghai went to England for weapons training in Brookwood, Surrey and in 1945 joined the 4/10 Baluch regiment. He was transferred to the Military Police and served during the partition of India in August 1947 in Calcutta.

Vietnam War 1971: International Mission for Supervision and Control

In 1970, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw appointed Vijey Ghai, as the Alternate Delegate representing India with the International Mission for Supervision and Control (ICSC). Also known as the International Control Commission (ICC), the ICSC was borne from the Geneva Agreements of 1954 which ended the First Indochina War. Soon thereafter Vijey Ghai became acting Head of Mission until his departure in 1972. He was awarded the International Mission for Supervision and Control Medal ICSC medal; The ribbon has three equal stripes of dark green, white and red. The green represents India and the red represents Canada and Poland; the white stripe represents peace.

Awards and decorations

Vijey Ghai was a highly decorated officer with the following awards and decorations:

S. No.	Ribbon	Medal	Awarded for
1.		Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM)	Class 1 Vishisht Sewa Medal Awarded by the President of India on April 21, 1966, to Brig Ghai for outstanding service during Kargil operations.
2.		Samar Seva Star	Medal for combat operations in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war
3.		Raksha Medal	For service during the 1965 war
4.		Sangram Medal	Awarded for service during the 1971/1972 war with Pakistan
5.		Sainya Seva Medal	The Sena Seva Medal was awarded for service in the Himlayan regions of J&K. These areas are considered to have hardship conditions and severe climates.
6.		Videsh Seva Medal	Awarded for the Indo-China War in 1973
7.		Indian Independence Medal	Awarded for serving on August 15, 1947
8.		25th Independence Anniversary Medal	25th Independence Anniversary Medal – Sikh LI
9.		Long Service 20 years	Indian Army long service award
10.		Long Service 9 years	Indian Army long service award
11.		International Mission for Supervision and Control Medal	Awarded in 1972 for work with the International Mission Peace keeping force in Vietnam (Saigon)
12.		1939-1945 Star	World War II operational service between Sept 1939 and Sept 1945
13.		The Italy Star	Military Campaign medal awarded in May 1945 World Ward II specifically for the Italian Campaign
14.		UK Defence Medal 1939-1945	Awarded for the Second world war campaign
15.		War Medal 1939-1945	Awarded for World War II - The War Medal 1939–1945 is a campaign medal which was instituted by the United Kingdom on 16 August 1945, for award to subjects of the British Commonwealth who had served full-time in the Armed Forces