Tiger Hill Vir Chakra now directs traffic in a small Punjab town

Kargil Vijay Diwas: "May be I made a wrong decision. I did not get any weightage for my Vir Chakra. Sports persons winning medals are also given higher ranks... I killed a man who was awarded Pakistan’s highest gallantry award. Anyway, God is kind. He kept me alive," Satpal Singh said.

  Twenty years ago, Satpal Singh was a Sepoy, battling Pakistan Army’s counter-attacks on Tiger Hill in which he killed Captain Karnal Sher Khan of the Northern Light Infantry and three others — Sher Khan was later conferred the Nishan-e-Haider, Pakistan’s highest gallantry award, on the recommendation of the Indian brigade commander who vouched for his bravery on the icy heights. He was part of the 8 Sikh team of two officers, four JCOs and 46 ORs (other ranks), tasked to help the 19 Grenadiers capture Tiger Hill.
Eighteen personnel, including three JCOs, died while beating back Pakistani attacks on Helmet and India Gate positions on Tiger Hill. Most who survived the battle were wounded, including the two officers Major Ravindra Parmar and Lt R K Sehrawat.
At a road intersection in Bhawanigarh, a small town in Sangrur district of Punjab, Head Constable Satpal Singh is busy directing traffic. But a close look at his uniform tells you he is no ordinary traffic policeman. On his shirt, he wears four rows of medal ribands, including one that’s half blue-half orange. The Vir Chakra.


“We had reached out position by the evening of July 5, 1999. It was bitterly cold and all we had with us were the clothes we were wearing. Either we could carry extra woollens or extra arms and ammunition. The choice was obvious,” recalls Satpal, now 46.
 The first Pakistani counter attack came early July 7, pushing back Indian troops. “The attacks came one after another. We would beat one and then there would be another. The Pakistanis had a good officer leading them.” With the officers and JCOs wounded, Subedar Nirmal Singh, among the injured, retained command and remained in touch with the brigade commander, Brig M P S Bajwa, on the wireless.

“Before he was killed with a direct hit to the head, Subedar saab told us to shout our jaikara ‘Bole So Nihal Sat Sri Akal’, rush the enemy and the officer leading them. I took four bullets as I fired my LMG (light machine gun). There was hand-to-hand combat. I pounced on this tall, well-built man dressed in a tracksuit. He was leading the Pakistani troops. There was chaos all around, both sides hurling abuses at each other as they fought. I managed to kill him,” he said.
He did not know then that the man he had killed was Capt Karnal Sher Khan. “I killed four of them — the officer, his radio operator and two jawans providing him close cover.” The death of the officer left the Pakistanis in disarray. “We could see him (Sher Khan) leading his troops, using the fire-and-cover method to attack us again and again. He fought well,” he said.
Brigadier Bajwa, Satpal’s former brigade commander, said: “I recommended Satpal’s n
name for Param Vir Chakra given his exceptional bravery on Tiger Hill. He was awarded Vir Chakra.”
After completing his service in the Army, Satpal was discharged in 2009. He joined Punjab Police the following year. “May be I made a wrong decision. I did not get any weightage for my Vir Chakra. I joined under the ex-servicemen quota. I am a Head Constable now.”

However, on Friday, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced that Satpal was promoted from Head Constable to Assistant Sub Inspector.

Many Many thanks to Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh.

JAI  HIND JAI SATPAL SINGHJI

IS THERE ANY COUNTRY WHERE OPPOSITION PARTIES DO NOT PERFORM THEIR DHARMA

OROP REVISION LIKELY TO BE SABOTAGED BY CGDA

MoD Clarification on Dual Family Pension i.e. Ordinary Family Pension (OFP) from Military Side, Special Family Pension (SFP)/ Liberalised Family Pension (LFP) for re-employed Military service

No. PC -2(6)/2013/D(Pen/Pol)

Government of India/Bharat Sarkar

Ministry of Defence 

Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare

D(Pension/Policy)

Dated 8th July, 2019

To 

The Chief of the Army Staff

The Chief of the Naval Staff

The Chief of the Air Staff

Subject: Clarification regarding grant of Dual Family Pension i.e. Ordinary Family Pension (OFP) from Military Side as well as Special Family Pension (SFP)/ Liberalised Family Pension (LFP) for re-employed Military service - reg.

Sir,

The undersigned is directed to state that references have been received seeking clarification as to whether Special Family Pension (SFP)/Liberalised Family Pension (LFP) is admissible on death of a military pensioner re-employed in military service, and his death is attributable to military service.

2. Prior to 17.01.2013, the NOKs of Armed Force Pensioner who got re-employed in Civil Department/PSUs/Autonomous bodies/Local Fund of Central/State Governments after getting retired from military service were authorized to draw Ordinary Family Pension (OFP) either from military side or from civil side whichever was beneficial to them in terms of Gol, MoD letter No. 10(6)/92/D(Pens/Sers) dated 28.09.1992 and regulation 78 of Pension Regulation Part-I, 2008. Subsequently, vide GoI, MoD letter No. 01(05)/2010-D(Pen/Policy) dated 17.01.2013, two family pensions were allowed w.e.f. 24.09.2012 in the event of death of a re-employed military pensioner.

3. It was further clarified that dual family pension is admissible irrespective of the fact whether the re-employment was in civil or military department vide GoI, MoD letter No. 10(17)/2012-D(Pen/Pol) dated 21.03.2013. Hence, the family pensioners of military personnel re-employed in military e.g. Territorial Army/Defence Security Corps (TA/DSC) are also covered in the ambit of the Gol, MoD letter No. 01(05)/2010-D(Pen/Policy) dated 17.01.2013 for grant of dual family pension w.e.f. 24.09.2012. However, the admissibility of dual family pension was restricted to ordinary family pension (OFP).

4. Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare vide their OM No. 1/3/2016-P&PW(F) dated 24.01.2019 has clarified that the provisions of two family pensions, one in respect of military/civil service and the other for civil service after re-employment, as available in terms of CCS(Pension) Rules, is also applicable under CCS(EOP) Rules.

5. The matter regarding extending the admissibility of Special Family Pension (SFP)/Liberalised Family Pension (LFP) in cases of death attributable to military service in terms of Gol, MoD letter No. 1(2)/97/D(Pen-C) dated 31.01.2001 in the case a of dual family pension has been examined. It has been decided that Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare OM No. 1/3/2016-P&PW(F) dated 24.01.2019 would apply mutatis-mutandis to military/civil pensioners re-employed in military service and it is clarified that the provision of two family pensions, one in respect of military/civil service and Special Family Pension (SFP)/Liberalised Family Pension (LFP) for re-employed military service is also applicable. Special Family Pension (SFP)/Liberalised Family Pension (LFP) if any, would be admissible in terms of GoI,

MoD letter No. 1(2)/97/D(Pen-C) dated 31.01.2001 on death of a pensioner who was re-employed in military service and if his death is attributable to military service, in addition to Ordinary Family Pension in respect of the previous military/civil service.

6. Where, however, on death of the re-employed ex-serviceman if the family is eligible for Special Family Pension (SFP)/Liberalised Family Pension (LFP) for first service, family pension for second spell of service would be Ordinary Family Pension.

7. Special Family Pension (SFP)/Liberalised Family Pension (LFP) shall be granted only in respect of one service and in no case, Special Family Pension (SFP)/Liberalised Family Pension (LFP) will be granted for both the services.

8. The financial benefits in the past cases will accrue with effect from 24.09.2012.

9. Pension Regulation of the three Services shall be amended in due course.

10. This issues with the concurrence of the Finance Division of this Ministry vide their ID No. 10(02)/2017/FIN/PEN dated 21.06.2019.

DEMOCRACY CHANNEL BROADCAST INTERVIEW WITH EX-SGT MAHANADA BISWAS

We veterans are very grateful to Democracy Channel lead by Shri Hijam Rajen for highlighting the problems of Ex-servicemen While other channels are ignoring ESM.

FILE PHOTOS FROM JOVA AGM AT TAMBARAM, CHENNAI

PROJECTED OROP REVISION CALCULATION CHART PREPARED BY A VETERAN FOR HAV-Y GROUP USING REALTIME DATA OF 2018