Page 327 - Leadership in the Indian Army

On 15 August 1947, British rule ended and India became a free nation.
There was widespread jubilation, even though the holocaust of Partition
continued for some time. Thousands of refugees from India and the newly-

born nation of Pakistan poured into each other’s territory to escape the
wanton carnage that was sweeping across the land like a raging fire. To
establish law and order and control the flow of refugees, a neutral force,
called the Punjab Boundary Force, was set up under the control of the
Supreme HQ. However, this was found to be ineffective and was soon
wound up, with both nations being asked to look after law and order in their
respective dominions. In India, a new Command, designated the Delhi and

East Punjab (DEP) Command, was set up with its HQ in Delhi, under
Lieutenant General Sir Dudley Russell, commonly known as Russell Pasha.
In September 1947, Sinha was promoted Major, and posted as GSO 2
(Operations), HQ DEP Command.
Besides maintaining law and order in Delhi and East Punjab, DEP
Command was also tasked with organising the evacuation of refugees from

both sides. This was mostly done in refugee trains, which had to be suitably
escorted to protect the refugees from being attacked en route. Russel Pasha
decided to establish a mobile HQ, for which he was allowed the use of the
Viceregal train, and he spent several weeks in it, moving between Delhi and
Lahore to supervise the evacuation. As a result, several hundred thousand
refugees were evacuated without mishap. The bloodbath that had occurred
before DEP command was set up could not be undone, but it proved

effective in preventing further loss of lives.
On 26 October 1947, Sinha attended what he was later to recall as the
most momentous meeting of his career. He was at the club when, at about 9
pm, a staff car was sent to fetch him to the office. When he reached there,
he found himself in the midst of a high-level meeting being chaired by the
Army Commander. Pakistani raiders had entered Kashmir, and were

advancing on Srinagar even as they spoke. It had been decided to send
Indian troops into the valley to defend Srinagar. A brigade was to be sent by
air, and another to follow by road. The airlift was to commence next
morning, and 1 Sikh, located at Gurgaon, was to be moved first. Sinha was
given the task of organising the airlift.
Considering the time and resources available, the task appeared almost
impossible. The IAF could muster up only two Dakotas, and the remaining

had to be requisitioned from private airlines. Sinha’s first task was to warn