Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military 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 colonel was typically in charge o ...

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

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

from the Union territory of

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu ...

. 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 or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

. He received the Maha Vir Chakra for a second time after

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decem ...

, for his role in the conquest of the

Turtuk Turtuk ཏུར་ཏུཀ་ is a village and the headquarters of an eponymous community development block in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. It is a small village sandwiched between Karakorum Range and Himalayas. and one of the north ...

and

Tyakshi Takshi, also known as Tyakshi or Taqsi, is a remote village in Nubra valley,located on the banks of the Shayok River in the Leh district of UT Ladakh, India. It lies in the historical Chorbat Valley of the Baltistan region, which was divided bet ...

(a small village of the

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

. 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-administe ...

. 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 s ...

for gallantry in the 1962 India-China War. and

Mention in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) 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 ...

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 name ...

in 1931 in an illustrious family. One of his ancestors had the title of "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 () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former res ...

for secondary education. Four years later, the

started, placing Ladakh in grave jeopardy from the raiders from Gilgit-Baltistan.

Military career

Rinchen joined the

Nubra Guards The Nubra Guards was an Indian paramilitary force formed during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948 to provide security in the Nubra Tehsil, in particular the Nubra and Shyok river valleys. Diskit, the headquarters of Nubra, is about 150 ...

in 1948 and served in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 alongside Indian Army units. 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 name ...

, he was promoted through the ranks and was awarded a

Mahavir 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 ...

for bravery. 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 The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tibet ...

, 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

, Rinchen, now a major in the

Ladakh Scouts The Ladakh Scouts is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, nicknamed the "Snow Warriors" or " Snow Leopards". The regiment specialises in mountain warfare, and its primary role is to guard India's borders in the high altitudes of the Unio ...

, led the capture of the Chalunka complex of the

Pakistani Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...

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, t ...

. 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 serving as the Defence Minister of India. He is currently the Deputy Leader of the House Lok Sabha. He is the former President of Bharatiya Janata Party. He has previously served as ...

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 is a tributary of the Indus River that flows through northern Ladakh and enters Gilgit–Baltistan, spanning some . The Shyok River originates at the Rimo Glacier, one of the tongues of Siachen Glacier. Its alignment is very ...

, at 14,650 ft is strategically located on the

Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road The Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road (DS-DBO Road/DSDBO Road), also called the Sub-Sector North Road, is a strategic all-weather road in eastern Ladakh in India, close to the Line of Actual Control with China. It connects Ladakh's capital city Leh, via ...

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