2nd Lt Girish Chandra Aggarwala

2nd Lt Girish Chandra Aggarwala hailed from Chandausi in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh and was born on 16 Jan 1940. Son of Shri Satish Chandra Aggarwala an Executive Officer of Chandausi Municipal Board, 2nd Lt Girish Chandra completed his education at Shyam Sunder Memorial College, Chandousi, and graduated in the year 1962. During his student days, he joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and held the position of Sergeant in its Air Wing branch. He was also a keen sportsman and excelled in Hockey as a member of the Agra University Hockey team. Besides being affable, he was an intelligent and hard-working person. He had a strong desire to serve in the Army since his younger days and continued to follow his dream while pursuing his studies. Immediately after graduation, he got a job in the State Bank of India, Chandausi, but he knew his calling. Eventually, he got selected to join the Army and he happily left the bank job to don the Army uniform. 

He was commissioned into 14 Rajput of the Rajput Regiment, the infantry Regiment well known for its intrepid soldiers. When China attacked India, 2nd Lt Girish Chandra Aggarwala was posted near the India-China border in Joshimath. In 1965, he was serving in the 14 Rajput Regiment and was stationed at a cantonment in Madhya Pradesh. However, he got involved in active operations as his unit got deployed on the western border as the war clouds started gathering in 1965. 

Battle of Chawinda (Indo-Pak War): 19/20 Sep 1965

During Sep 1965 2nd Lt Girish Chandra Aggarwala’s unit 14 Rajput was deployed in the Jammu (RS Pura)-Sialkot border. Pakistan launched ‘Operation Gibraltar’ in Aug 1965, wherein thousands of infiltrators were sent across the border to carry out sabotage and subversion. Following the failure of Op Gibraltar, Pakistan invaded Chhamb district on 01 Sep 1965 triggering an aggressive response from the Indian forces. The Sialkot campaign was part of the strategy of riposte that India had devised to counter Pakistan's advances into J&K. The Battle of Chawinda was a major engagement between Pakistani and Indian forces as part of the Sialkot campaign. The 14 Rajput Battalion was functioning under the operational control 35 Infantry Brigade of the 6th Mountain Division. The Brigade’s objective was to capture Chawinda town in Pakistan where Pakistan’s 6th Armored Division was stationed. 

The troops comprising elements 14 Rajput battalion, made an all-out assault on 20 Sep 1965 to capture the Chawinda railway station. However, due to a lack of communication among the troops, the forward companies went too far to a flank and almost ran into own troops of another battalion holding the forward positions. As the area was significantly important for the enemy, it launched a fierce counterattack accompanied by their Artillery. 2nd Lt Girish Chandra Aggarwala quickly assessed the gravity of the situation and got down to coordinating various battalion detachments for effective response. He went about directing and inspiring his troops without caring for his own safety. The battalion succeeded in beating back the counterattack successfully. However, 2nd Lt Girish Chandra while directing operations got seriously injured. He soon succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. Besides 2nd Lt Girish Chandra Aggarwala, two other officers Lt Brij Raj Singh Bhaduria and 2nd Lt Rachhpal Singh Grewal, and many other ranks too made the supreme sacrifice. 2nd Lt Girish Chandra Aggarwala was a gallant soldier and a gritty officer who laid down his life at the age of 25 years in the line of his duty.  

2nd Lt Girish Chandra Aggarwala is survived by his brothers Shri Harish Chandra Aggarwala and Shri Ashok Chandra Aggarwala.