Page 311 - Leadership in the Indian Army

additional platoon. An artillery officer would accompany him as the FOO.
Another company of 1 Para was earmarked to reinforce Dayal as soon as he
had captured the pass. At the end of the briefing, Bakshi told Dayal: ‘If you

succeed, the credit will go to you. If you don’t, I will accept responsibility
for the failure.’
While all this was going on, Bakshi received another call from the GSO 1
of 19 Infantry Division, who informed him that Bedori had not been
captured, as reported earlier, but was still in enemy hands. Shortly
afterwards, the Divisional Commander spoke to Bakshi, and told him that
Bedori must be captured at the earliest, and had priority even over Hajipir

pass. Bakshi was flabbergasted and protested strongly, saying that the
diversion of troops from the Sank axis to Bedori would take time. More
importantly, any delay in the capture of Haji Pir would give the enemy time
to occupy and strengthen the defences at the pass. But the Divisional
Commander would have none of it. The earlier news of Bedori’s capture
had been announced on All India Radio on 26 August, and its immediate

capture was therefore essential to avoid embarrassment.
Bakshi was forced to modify his plans again. However, he decided to
make no change in the plan for the capture of Hajipir. The problem was
finding troops for the capture of Bedori. At this stage, Lieutenant Colonel
Sampuran Singh, the Commanding Officer of 19 Punjab, volunteered to
capture Bedori using the subsidiary axis Kaunrali–Burji–Bedori Spring–
Bedori. Bakshi readily granted permission, and instructed 4 Rajput to

maintain pressure on the enemy from the north and north-west to divert
their attention when the attack went in on the night of 28/29 August.
Major Ranjit Singh Dayal left with his column at last light on 27 August.
He was accompanied by Captain Vaswani as his second-in-command, and
Second-Lieutenant JS Talwar of 164 Field Regiment as the FOO. As the
company was descending from Ledwali Gali into the Haidarabad nullah , it

came under machinegun and mortar fire from the western shoulder of the
pass, which overlooked the nullah. But this was more of a nuisance than a
threat. Soon the column came under fire from a different direction. A party
of Pathans withdrawing from Sawan Pathri had seen the force, and
concluding that they were being encircled, had opened fire. Dayal
despatched a platoon to deal with the Pathans, and asking them to join up
with him later, continued the advance. In case it was delayed, the platoon

was told to join the battalion at Ledwali Gali. Dayal also ordered the FOO