The Hindu : National : A fountainhead of inspiration for police

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 21, 2005

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National

A fountainhead of inspiration for police

A. Subramani

Thousands undertake pilgrimage to the khaki memorial in the Himalayas

CROWNING GLORY: Tucked away amid the Himalayan peaks, `Hot Springs' represents khaki solidarity and empathy

CHENNAI : The word `Hot Springs' makes thousands of policemen across the country turn sentimental and inspires them to undertake a pilgrimage to the Himalayan memorial braving the elements.

On October 20, 1959 a two-member team, patrolling the India-China borders, failed to return to base. The next day, a search party comprising two officials and 22 men belonging to the Indo-Tibetan Border Force and the Central Reserve Police Force set out on horses. The team came under attack from heavily-armed Chinese forces.

Saddest of them all

The result: 10 policemen were killed, four injured and seven were taken prisoner. Officials say even the bodies of the policemen were not returned immediately.

Though there were bigger tragedies and bigger police casualties before and after the Hot Springs incident, for some reason the October 21, 1959 occurrence is still considered the saddest of them all. An Inspectors-General of Police meet in 1960 resolved to organise a `khaki pilgrimage' to the memorial, which came up at the spot almost immediately after the incident.

Homage

Every year, a team of about 30 all-rank police personnel visits the memorial to pay homage. The commemoration day is the most solemn occasion on the police calendar all over the country, with functions organised in all State and district headquarters. Overlooking China and tucked away in the heart of the Himalayas, the memorial has now come to represent `khaki' solidarity and empathy.

The 15-day annual police pilgrimage usually starts at Chandigarh and passes through Manali, Rohtang Pass, Kylong, Tang Lang Pass, Leh and Marsmik Pass, says Ayushmani Tiwari, Deputy Commissioner of Police in Chennai, who participated in the march in 2003. As the entire stretch gets buried under heavy snow in October, the pilgrimage is normally taken up and completed in mid-September. This year, the team was led by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil.

Horrific memories

A senior IPS official in Jammu and Kashmir says that many survivors had horrific memories of the incident. Sonam Wanghal, one of them retired as Assistant Director of the Indo-Tibetan Border Force and became an Everest hero in 1965. He was decorated with Arjuna and Padma Shree awards too. Another survivor, a CRPF man, is said to be in Rajasthan.

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