Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Chewang Rinchen MVC & Bar, SM (Kalon Tsewang Rigdzin, 1931–1997) was a highly decorated officer in the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

from the

Union territory Among the states and union territories of India, a Union Territory (UT) is a region that is directly governed by the Government of India, central government of India, as opposed to the states, which have their own State governments of India, s ...

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...

. He was the youngest ever recipient of the

Maha Vir Chakra The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) () is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the B ...

, the second highest Indian gallantry decoration, for his role in the defence of Ladakh in the

First Kashmir War First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

. He received the Maha Vir Chakra for a second time after Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, for his role in the conquest of the

Turtuk Turtuk is a village and the headquarters of an eponymous Community development block in India, community development block in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. It is a small village sandwiched between the Karakoram, Karakorum Range and the ...

and Tyakshi (a small village of the

Chorbat Chorbat Valley (, ) is a section of the Shyok River, Shyok river valley divided between Pakistan, Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan and India, Indian-administered Ladakh. The Pakistan-administered portion is in the Khaplu tehsil of Ghanche Dis ...

. valley), in what came to be known as the

Battle of Turtuk The Battle of Turtuk was a military engagement between India and Pakistan that took place during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Fighting between the two sides took place in Turtuk and its surrounding areas, then part of the Pakistani-adminis ...

. He was one of only six Indian service personnel to have the Maha Vir Chakra twice. He was awarded a

Sena Medal The Sena Medal () is awarded to members of the Indian army, of all ranks, "for such individual acts of exceptional devotion to duty or courage as have special significance for the Army." Awards may be made posthumously and a bar is authorized for ...

for gallantry in the 1962 India-China War. and

Mention in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

for gallantry in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

Early life

Chewang Rinchen was born in the village of Sumur in

Nubra Nubra, also called Dumra, is a historical region of Ladakh, India that is currently administered as a subdivision and a tehsil in the Leh district. Its inhabited areas form a tri-armed valley cut by the Nubra and Shyok rivers. Its Tibetan nam ...

in 1931 in an illustrious family. One of his ancestors had the title of "Stak" (Lion of Ladakh) for his bravery and his mother was known as "Mother of Nubra Valley" for her compassion. Rinchen was educated in Sumur by a Ladakhi Christian missionary by name Stanzin. At age 13, he attracted the attention of a ''kalon'' (duke) of Ladakh, who took him to

Leh Leh () is a city in Indian-administered Ladakh in the Kashmir#Kashmir_dispute, disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the WP:TE ...

for secondary education. Four years later, the

started, placing Ladakh in grave jeopardy from the raiders from

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative units of Pakistan, administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has b ...

Military career

Rinchen joined the Nubra Guards in 1948 and served in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 alongside Indian Army units.He later received a formal enlistment in the Indian Army as a

Jemadar Jemadar or jamadar ( Hindustani: जमादार; جمعدار) is a title used for various military and other officials in the Indian subcontinent. Etymology The word stems from Urdu (), which derives through Persian ''jam'dar'' from Arab ...

.He was trained by (then) Subedar Bhim Chand, VrC & bar, of Lahaul. For his role in this war, Chewang Rinchen is regarded among the 'Saviours of Ladakh', alongside Bhim Chand, Col. Thakur Prithi Chand, MVC, and Lt. Col. Kushal Chand, MVC. Fighting in the

Nubra Valley Nubra, also called Dumra, is a historical region of Ladakh, India that is currently administered as a subdivision and a tehsil in the Leh district. Its inhabited areas form a tri-armed valley cut by the Nubra and Shyok rivers. Its Tibetan nam ...

, Rinchen was promoted through the ranks and was awarded a

Mahavir Chakra The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) () is the second highest military Medal, decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced ...

for bravery. At 17 years of age, he was the youngest recipient of the award.

Maha Vir Chakra

The citation for the first

awarded to him reads:

Between wars

Rinchen also served in the 1962 India-China War, where he was awarded a

. On 1 April 1964, he was granted a permanent commission in the regular Indian Army with the rank of second lieutenant (seniority from 21 August 1962), and relinquished his commission in the Jammu and Kashmir Militia. He was promoted to lieutenant on 21 August 1964.

Bar to Maha Vir Chakra

In the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Rinchen, now a major in the

Ladakh Scouts The Ladakh Scouts is a mountain infantry regiment of the Indian Army, nicknamed as the "Snow Warriors" or "Snow Leopards". The regiment specializes in cold-weather warfare and mountain warfare, long-range penetration, maneuver warfare, raiding w ...

, led the capture of the Chalunka complex of the

Pakistani Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

and the strategic outpost of

. For these actions, he was awarded a bar to his MVC, being one of only six Indian soldiers so honoured. This battle was known as the Battle of Turtuk. The citation for the second

awarded to him reads:

Later career

Promoted to the substantive rank of major on 6 February 1978, Rinchen retired from active service with effect from 1 May 1980, when he transferred to the reserves. On 1 October 1983, he was re-employed and assigned to command 246 Transit Camp with the local rank of lieutenant-colonel, while serving with the

Jammu and Kashmir Rifles The Jammu and Kashmir Rifles is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. Its origins lay in the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. After the accession of the state to the Indian Union in October 1947, ...

. Rinchen finally retired as a full colonel in 1984.

Legacy

The Indian Army has named an army shopping complex after him in

. On 21 October 2019 Defense Minister

Rajnath Singh Rajnath Singh (; born 10 July 1951) is an Indian politician and lecturer who is serving the Defence Minister of India since 20 May 2019. He was also the Deputy Leader of the House, Lok Sabha since 2014. He also served the Home Minister in th ...

inaugurated the Col Chewang Rinchen Setu, India's highest altitude all-weather permanent bridge, in eastern Ladakh just 45 km from border with China. The 1400-ft long bridge on

Shyok River The Shyok River (sometimes spelled Shayok) is a major tributary of the Indus River that flows through northern Ladakh in India and into Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan. Originating from the Central Rimo Glacier in the eastern Karakoram, it runs f ...

, at 14,650 ft is strategically located on the Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road between Leh and Karakoram Pass.

Personal life

Chewang Rinchen married Shema Choskit Dolma of Leh Khangsar, an aristocratic family from Leh.He had 4 siblings and one of Rinchen's younger brother P. Namgyal is a former Union Minister and Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha).

Notes

Citations

References

* * * * *

External links

Kashmir Sentinel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rinchen, Chewang 1931 births 1997 deaths Indian Army officers Indian military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 People of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948