Defenceindia : Special Feature : Battle of Sylhet

4/5 Gorkha Rifles {Frontier Force} had fought two battles with Khukri {Khukri a sharp edged long curved knife used by Gurkha's for killing in combat} as the decisive weapon; wiped out Pakistani B Company 31 Punjab at Atgram {Sylhet District - East Pakistan} on 20/21 November 1971 and caused disintegration of Company plus of Pakistani 22 Baluch at Gazipur, again Sylhet District, on night 4/5 December 1971. Battalion had suffered 7 officers, 3 Junior Commissioned Officers {JCO's} and 92 Other Ranks {OR} killed/wounded in these two battles. By afternoon of 5 December the battalion had secured Kalaura, rail and road head leading to Sylhet, one of the biggest North-eastern district of then East Pakistan {Now Bangladesh}. Sylhet was a communication centre approachable from four directions from India, important from military and geographical point of view and its fall would be a severe set back to the Pakistani's, with international repercussions. Available intelligence information had interpreted that Sylhet was lightly held as Garrison Brigade had been moved out in the beginning of December 1971. Sylhet was thus selected as the next objective of 8 Mountain Division, capture of which would give a large chunk of territory. Sylhet Garrison, however, was defended by Pakistan's 202 Infantry Brigade with its Headquarter at Sylhet with two battalions {31 Punjab, 91 Mujahid} Company 12 Azad Kashmir Battalion, two Companies of EPCAF and half Wing Frontier Corps supported by regiment of 105 millimetre guns, a battery of 120 millimetre mortars. This brigade was subsequently reinforced by Pakistani 313 Infantry Brigade {22 Baluch, 30 Frontier Force, Wing Frontier Corps less two companies} on 7/8 December 1971. This brigade was initially covering/defending axis Shamsher Nagar - Maulvi Bazar. Both the brigades had been deployed to cover all the major axes and make Sylhet a fortress. By first week of December 1971, Brigadier S A Hassan was sent to Sylhet and coordinate the defensive battle of the two Pakistani Brigades.

On the evening of 6 December, Lieutenant General Sagat Singh, GOC IV Corps gave out the plan of heliborne landing of a battalion of 59 Mountain Brigade {Brigadier CA Quinn} to occupy Sylhet. Major General {Later General and COAS} K V Krishna Rao, GOC 8 Mountain Division was also informed of the plans. On the morning of 7 Dec at about 0900 hours Brigadier Quinn, Brigade Commander, visited the battalion {4/5 GR {FF}} at Kalaura and informed Commanding Officer {CO}, Lieutenant Colonel later Brigadier A B Harolikar, MVC that the battalion is planned to be helilanded at Sylhet, reported to be devoid of regular troops, on the same afternoon, with link up by ground forces within 12-24 hours. CO though felt that Sylhet was not vacated and was possibly strongly held, link up with 12-24 hours was difficult in view of the nodal points of Pakistani defences en-route, slow progress of own ground forces so far and distances to be traversed to Sylhet. By about 10 AM, 7 Dec, Brigadier Quinn, CO {Harolikar}, Group Captain {Later Air Marshal} Chandan Singh, in charge of the helicopter unit, flew over Sylhet in a helicopter and selected a suitable landing site near Mirpara on the Northern bank of the Surma River, about 2 kilometres East of the Railway Bridge. No military activity was noticed nor was reconnaissance helicopter fired upon, thus somewhat confirming belief that Pak 202 Infantry Brigade had left Sylhet. CO also felt, after the reconnaissance, that his apprehensions 'may' have been unfounded. However, he was to prove right in the time to come; unknown Pakistani's had increased its strength to two brigades at Sylhet. On CO's return the following was the plan of the operations. Landing zone at Mirpara on the outskirts of Sylhet, close to railroad bridge over Surma River; Flight of MI - 4 Helicopters available with a flight time of 25 to 30 minutes with approximately 50 persons per wave. Charlie Company under Major {Later Colonel} Malik {Maney Malik} to be first wave followed by Bravo {Captain VK Sharma {Sharma}}, Alfa {Major Dinesh Rana {Dinesh}} and Delta {Captain V K Salgotra {Salgotra}.First wave to take off between 1400-1430 Hours, 7 December from Kalaura so that entire battalion landed before last light.
First to land in Sylhet at 1500 hours was major portion of Charlie {C} Company led by Maney Malik and were fired upon by Pakistani troops with mounted machine guns. They went straight charging in the direction from where the firing was coming, with war cry of ' Ayo Gorkhali'. {War Cry of the Unit}. After about 40-45 minutes second wave consisting of remaining part of C Company CO' s party and a portion of B Company landed .

The total force at this stage consisted of 90-100 persons, 15 Light Machine Guns {LMG's} and 4 Medium Machine Guns {MMG's}. With this landing of troops control and denial of the landing area and area around became crucial for subsequent flights to land.No further flights arrived for crucial next 12 hours, leaving already landed troops to bitterly fight throughout the night, to retain the toe hold. Major Mumtaz Hussain Shah of 31 Punjab, Pakistan Army, who was responsible for the local defence around Southern portion of Sylhet Town reported landing of 400-500 men to his headquarters. He attributes possible objectives of this force to capture of 'Y' Junction South of Sylhet and the Rail Bridge intact which could have cut off withdrawal route of 31 Punjab and also denied 313 Pak Brigade entry to the town from the South for eventual Sylhet Fortress battle. The fire fights around the landing ground continued through the night. Just at the beginning of dawn, at about 0400 hours, Alfa and Delta Company landed amidst artillery fire and by the break of the day the battalion had concentrated. Pakistanis interpreted this additional flight of helicopters as landing of remainder part of the brigade. In the twilight hours of 8 Dec, came two mountain guns {75/24mm} and B Company 9 Guards. The dilemma now was to either go for compact defended area or a wider aggressive one; both with disadvantages and disadvantages. The CO opted for later for occupying wider defensive positions around landing site, conduct offensive defence by laying ambushes, raid enemy localities, establish roadblocks to cut off road communication and harass Pakistanis. An hour or so after last light Pakistani's launched a counter attack on Alfa and Delta Company's which was repulsed.

On 9 December, a helicopter flight brought Major {Later Major General} Ian Cardozo, AVSM, SM on posting after the Staff Course. Major {Later Brigadier Rattan Kaul, on discharge from hospital, also arrived in the same flight and straightaway went forward to his company {Delta}. During the day a composite patrol led by Major Maney Malik laid ambush on road Sylhet - Khadim Nagar and ambushed Pakistani Convoy, creating chaos as drivers abandoned vehicles and ran away. During a chance wireless interception by Kaul some information was obtained. To quote CO {Harolikar} on this; " From a wireless transmission intercepted by Major Kaul it was clear that 313 Infantry Brigade had arrived in Sylhet on 7 Dec and along with 202 Infantry Brigade and {sick} were planning an attack with five companies on Alfa and Delta Company's, which were posing a serious threat to the bridge, besides also being a road block". Half an hour after last light came this counter attack with artillery support on Alfa {Dinesh} and Delta {Kaul} Company's, which was also repulsed.

On 11 December morning three Hunters, directed by FAC Flt Lt S C Sharma, engaged enemy positions in front of Alfa and Delta Company's. All these days link up by ground forces was expected same evening; apparently based on the information from advancing forces. This continued to be so even after next three days; till 14 December. With the changing situation, mounting casualities, orders for compact deployment, after last light 11 December, were given. At last light Pakistanis launched a counter attack on A and D Company's, which was beaten back, in which senior JCO of A Company was killed and Major Kaul, Company Commander D Company, seriously injured. The readjustment which had to be put on hold due to Paki counterattack took place only after the situation had stabilised. On 14 December, after last light, a weak section of 6 Rajput reached the battalion across Surma River, though the battalion was still away. However, guns of our formation could now support us and replenishment by air had improved ammunition state.

Unknown to us Pakistani's realising their predicament had its effect. The events that unfolded now on was a chapter of glory and best narrated in CO's {Harolikar} own words. "However on 15 December morning we faced an intriguing, but interesting incident. That day, in the morning, I received a radio message from Major Malik {Maney - Charlie Company Commander}, who informed me that there was a large visible concentration of enemy troops about 800 meters in front of his FDL {Forward Defended Locality} and that there were couple of white flags {indicative of surrender} in the hands of some of the persons…." A group of 1000-1500 ith two officers came and handed over a note, which stated that the station commander of Sylhet wanted to surrender the entire garrison of Sylhet. We informed them that their Brigadier himself needs to come over along with one more officer to discuss further details. The two officers turned back At around 3 PM the Pakistani Station Commander { Hassan} met Brigade Commander Brigadier Quinn at the bridge and worked out the details of the surrender. It is interesting to note that this happened 24 hours earlier than the official acceptance of surrender by the Pakistani forces on 16 Dec at 1655 hours at Dacca and even prior to the temporary cease fire". The battalion had endured and entered 9th day and 8th night, fourcounter attacks repulsed, a determined Commanding Officer and the Khukri yielding troops transforming CO's vision into reality with no link up except elements of 6 Rajput having reached the South Bank of Surma River.

Pak Deployment and Line of Own Forces As on 15 December
The modalities of surrender completed it was decided to have proper surrender next morning {16 December} when entire Sylhet Garrison comprising of 3 Brigadiers, 1 Colonel, 107 officers, 219 JCO's and 6190 Pakistani soldiers and 39 non-combatants surrendered. During the battle of Sylhet {between 7 and 16 December) 1 officer (Major Karan Puri, Adjutant) 2 JCO's {Subedar Karne Thapa, A Company and Naib Subedar Bhim Singh Khatri, Signal Platoon} and 11 other ranks made the supreme sacrifice, while 3 officers {Cardozo, Kaul and Malik} and 36 other ranks were wounded. At the time of surrender of the Sylhet Garrison, battalion strength in Sylhet consisted of about 6- 7 officers, 10-15 JCO's and about 300 -350 soldiers.

After the surrender by Pakistanis, Brigadier S A Hassan, Pakistani Garrison Commander of Sylhet, paid compliments to the battalion, when he mentioned to Brigadier Quinn that "If this battalion {4/5 GR{FF}} was not there we would have fought for at least another 10 days" . After the surrender troops entered the town and saw heaps of weapons thrown all along the road. It is during this move Ian Cardozo was injured by a mine blast and lost his left lower leg.

For this outstanding first ever heliborne operation of Indian Army by 4/5 Gorkha Rifles {Frontier Force}, Sylhet was awarded as Battle Honour and East Pakistan, 1971 as Theatre Honour to 4/5 Gorkha Rifles {Frontier Force}.

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