Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat MVC

Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat was born on 19 August 1941 in Baryun village, located in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. He was the son of Shri Guman Singh Rawat and grew up in a region known for producing brave soldiers who have served the nation with distinction. Inspired by a deep sense of patriotism and a desire to protect his motherland, Rfn Jaswant Singh joined the Indian Army on 19 August 1960, at the young age of 19 years. He was recruited into the 4 Garhwal Rifles, a battalion of the highly esteemed Garhwal Rifles Regiment, which has a long history of valor and gallantry in various military operations. During the Indo-China War of 1962, Rfn Jaswant Singh Rawat’s unit was deployed in the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA), now known as Arunachal Pradesh. His battalion was tasked with defending a critical post near Nuranang, a strategically important location in the Tawang sector. As the Chinese forces launched a large-scale offensive, the Indian troops fought fiercely to hold their ground despite being outnumbered and outgunned.

As the battle intensified and Chinese forces gained the upper hand, Indian troops were ordered to withdraw to prevent further casualties. However, in an extraordinary display of courage, determination, and patriotism, the 21-year-old Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat refused to abandon his post. Choosing to fight till his last breath, he decided to take on the advancing Chinese troops single-handedly. For three consecutive days, Rfn Jaswant Singh, along with two local Monpa girls—Sela and Nura—continued to engage the enemy forces. Using his tactical skills and sheer bravery, he set up multiple firing positions, constantly shifting between them to create an illusion of a larger defending force. This deception misled the Chinese troops, causing them to believe they were facing a much stronger resistance than they actually were. He kept firing at the enemy, eliminating several Chinese soldiers, and delaying their advance for as long as possible. Despite his extraordinary resistance, the enemy eventually discovered his position and surrounded him. Realizing he had limited ammunition left and escape was impossible, he chose to fight till the very end. After putting up an incredible last stand, Rfn Jaswant Singh Rawat was martyred, leaving behind a legacy of heroism and sacrifice.

Battle of Nuranang: Nov 1962

By late October 1962, as the Indo-China War intensified, Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat’s unit, 4 Garhwal Rifles, was placed under the command of the 62 Infantry Brigade. Alongside 1 Sikh, 13 Dogra, 2 Sikh Light Infantry (LI), and 4 Sikh LI, his battalion was part of the defensive efforts against the advancing Chinese forces. The situation was dire, with Indian troops struggling to contain the enemy’s overwhelming offensive in the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA), now known as Arunachal Pradesh. After the 4th Infantry Division withdrew from Tawang, it was redeployed south of the Mago Chu River. The Indian Army, heavily outnumbered and facing severe shortages of manpower, supplies, and ammunition, was engaged in intense battles to hold strategic positions in the region.

On 17 November 1962, Chinese forces launched repeated assaults on 4 Garhwal Rifles' defensive positions. The attacks were relentless, and Indian soldiers had to fight fiercely despite being at a disadvantage. Among the most imminent threats was a Chinese Medium Machine Gun (MMG) positioned at a vantage point near ‘A’ Company’s defensive lines. The MMG inflicted heavy casualties on Indian soldiers, making it imperative to neutralize the threat. Recognizing the critical situation, Rfn Jaswant Singh Rawat, Lance Naik Trilok Singh Negi, and Rifleman Gopal Singh Gusain volunteered for a daring mission—to eliminate the enemy MMG position. With a mix of skill, courage, and determination, they crawled stealthily through the rough terrain, using their best fieldcraft techniques to avoid detection. When they were just 12 meters away from the bunker, Rfn Jaswant Singh hurled grenades into the enemy post, killing multiple Chinese soldiers and successfully seizing the MMG. As Indian forces looked on, Rfn Jaswant Singh bravely took control of the captured weapon and began crawling back towards the Indian lines. However, as he neared safety, he was fatally hit by Chinese automatic fire.

Despite sustaining grievous injuries, his daring mission was a success—the destruction of the enemy MMG proved to be a turning point in the battle. The Chinese forces, suffering from heavy losses, were forced to retreat, leaving behind over 300 dead soldiers. His sacrifice not only neutralized a major enemy threat but also boosted the morale of Indian troops in one of the war’s most challenging battles. For his extraordinary bravery, indomitable spirit, and supreme sacrifice, Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat was posthumously awarded the "Maha Vir Chakra", India’s second-highest gallantry award. Today, the story of Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat lives on in the annals of Indian military history. The Jaswant Garh War Memorial in Arunachal Pradesh stands in his honor, where soldiers and civilians alike pay their respects to this legendary warrior whose spirit continues to inspire generations of Indian soldiers.

The citation for the Maha Vir Chakra awarded to him reads:

On 17 November 1962, a battalion of Garhwal Rifles was occupying a defensive position near the Nuranang bridge in NEFA. Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat’s company was subjected to a series of attacks by the Chinese forces. The enemy managed to bring forward a medium machine gun very close to one of our platoons and weakened its defenses. Rifleman Jaswant Singh and two other men volunteered to go and destroy the enemy MMG position. They crawled forward and within 10 to 15 yards of the gun, Rifleman Jaswant Singh and the other riflemen hurled grenades on it, killing two Chinese and badly wounding the other. Rifleman Rawat then snatched the MMG and started to return to his position. The enemy opened automatic fire from close range. Rifleman Jaswant Singh was hit on the head and died on the spot, still holding the MMG in his hand.

The exceptional courage and initiative shown by Rifleman J.S. Rawat in the face of intense enemy fire were in the best traditions of our Army.

The post where Rfn Jaswant Singh fought his last battle is now named as Jaswant Garh. Among the local populace Rifleman, Jaswant is known as Baba Jaswant Singh Rawat. His personal belongings have been kept safe even today at Jaswant Garh. Five soldiers are specially assigned to take care of Rfn Jaswant Singh’s room. Though the room is empty, soldiers place the morning bed tea at 4.30 AM, prepare breakfast at 9 am and dinner at 7 pm. According to army sources, it is discovered that bedsheets of his room are found crumpled and his clothes lay scattered in the room.

The people of the army in the local units still believe that Rifleman Jashwant Singh Rawat still guards the post as a spirit and has been guiding Indian soldiers in dreams. He is the only soldier who has been promoted to the rank of Major general after his death. His salary is credited every month and most strange of all, he is even granted official leave on various occasions.

The Housing project of Jaswant Nagar in Dehra Dun has been named after rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat in his honour.

• Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat of the Fourth Garhwal Rifles infantry regiment is the only soldier in the long history of the Indian army who is known to have risen through the ranks after his death. It is said that the brave Indian soldier had slain a large number of Chinese soldiers with his rifle. But when the Chinese army got the hint that it was not a massive army, but a lone soldier who was holding the post, they decided to retaliate with a vengeance. In the battle between the Chinese troops, Rfn Jaswant was outnumbered and realizing that his capture was imminent, he shot himself. The Chinese battalion was so furious and hated this Indian soldier that they chopped his head off and took it with them. Later a ceasefire took place between India and China. The Chinese army was so amazed by his courage that they returned the head of the soldier back to Indian army along with a brass bust in honour of this brave soldier.

• As per the local legend, Jaswant Singh Rawat refrained from leaving his post and decided to single-handedly confront the gigantic Chinese army. The local story goes that he was assisted by two Monpa girls named Sela and Nura, some others say by a village lady by the name of Boom la. They had put guns at various places in such a manner that the Chinese were made to believe that the post had many soldiers. Rfn Jaswant Singh Rawat along with Sela and Nura used to run at different spots and fire at the enemies. The attack of Rfn Jaswant was proving fatal for Chinese. They were clueless about the size of Indian army, but a betrayal proved fatal for Rfn Jaswant. The person who was supplying rations to Rfn Jaswant was caught by the Chinese and he revealed all the details of Rfn Jaswant Singh Rawat and his two comrades – Sela and Nura. With a vengeance, the Chinese army retaliated in which Sela was killed in a grenade burst. As per another Legend , Sela died by jumping off from the cliff to avoid getting captured by Chinese. Sela had an emotional corner for Rfn Jaswant and it was her love for him that she fought till her last breath. In this battle for nation, even Nura was killed by the Chinese forces.