Service No : IC-12453
Date of Birth : August 19, 1939
Place of birth : Lucknow (UP)
Service : Army
Last Rank : Major
Unit : 3 Dogra
Arm/Regt : The Dogra Regiment
Operation : Op Riddle
Awards : Vir Chakra
Martyrdom : September 6, 1965
Major Greesh Chandra Verma VrC
Major Greesh Chandra Verma hailed from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh was born on 29 August 1939. Son of Shri SP Verma, he joined the Army after completing his initial education. He passed out of the Training Academy on 18 Dec 1960 as Second Lieutenant at the age of 21 years. He was commissioned into 3 Dogra Battalion of the Dogra Regiment, an infantry Regiment well-known for its brave soldiers and numerous battle exploits. The battalion got deployed in J&K, when the war with Pakistan became imminent in 1965.
Operation Faulad (Indo-Pak War) : 05/06 Sep 1965
During 1965, Maj Greesh Chandra Verma’s unit, 3 Dogra was deployed in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The unit was functioning under the operational control of 93 Infantry Brigade of 25 Infantry Division. The Indo-Pak war actually commenced on 01 Sep 1965, when Pakistani forces attacked the Chhamb sector. After the occupation of Haji Pir pass on 27 August 1965, Indian Army launched "Operation Faulad" to seal the Haji Pir Bulge from the south. The enemy had many pickets on numerous hill features between Poonch and Kahuta, which effectively dominated the Poonch–Haji Pir track. These were well-fortified positions replete with cemented weapon emplacements and shell-proof bunkers having coordinated MMG and LMG fire. The 93 Infantry Brigade was tasked to effect the Poonch–Haji Pir linkup by capturing these pickets enroute to Kahuta. The most formidable and important amongst these enemy posts were Raja and Chand Tekri pickets, both formidable battalions of enemy defences, encircled with wire and mine obstacles. Maj Greesh Chandra Verma’s unit, 3 Dogra under the command of Lt Col RB Nair along with 2 Sikh battalion was tasked by 93 Brigade to capture Raja and Chand Tekri, both of which were considered to be virtually impregnable.
The Brigade planned two battalion attacks with the 2nd battalion, of Sikh Regiment on the left to clear the Raja picket and 3 Dogra on the right to capture point 7702. The battalion left late in the evening on September 5, and successfully sneaked past Raja picket. The two leading B and C companies were to assault from the left flank and cross the start line at 04:00 on September 6. B company under Maj Greesh Chandra Verma and C company under Capt Gurdev Singh Bawa stormed point 7702 at 05:00 on September 6. To encourage his troops in the face of heavy enemy fire, Major Verma moved to the front line to direct the operations. After a fierce exchange of fire and throwing of hand grenades, the enemy troops were driven from the first line of trenches and bunkers. Subsequently, as a result of hand-to-hand fighting, the enemy was knocked out of all the bunkers. In a pitched fight on the last edges of the objective Major Verma was hit in the head by an enemy bullet. After a fierce hand-to-hand and bunker-to-bunker fight, the enemy was uprooted from the strongly built defences and the post was captured by 05:45.
Maj Verma, who was wounded in the head, refused to be evacuated. He breathed his last on seeing the success signal being fired from his pistol by Sub Rattan Singh. Capt GS Bawa, the other assaulting company commander was also wounded fatally while silencing an enemy MMG. The battalion lost two officers, one JCO and 14 ORs while 3 officers, 2 JCOs and 60 ORs were wounded in the battle. A total of 39 men of enemy were killed and 5 were taken as POWs. Maj GC Verma was a valiant soldier and an officer par excellence, who led his men from the front like a good military leader. Major Greesh Chandra Verma was posthumously awarded “Vir Chakra” for his dauntless courage, exceptional leadership and supreme sacrifice.
No Comments