A coffin containing the body of Tenzin Nyima, a Tibetan official with the Indian Special Border Force, appears at his residence in Leh on September 1, 2020. (Reuters)
Nyima Tenzin was killed near the banks of the Pangong Tso in Ladakh when Indian and Chinese forces came close to directly engaging.
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- Last update: September 4, 2020 9:33 AM IST
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A Tibetan member of an Indian special forces unit was killed near the site of a border blast with Chinese troops when the desolate mountain of Ladakh offered a rare glimpse of a little-known group of high-altitude elite warriors.
The exact circumstances that led to the death of the leader of the Special Border Force Company, Nyima Tenzin, as well as the mysterious regiment itself, are unknown. The 53-year-old man died near the shores of Pangong Tso in the western Himalayas when Indian and Chinese forces came close to clashing directly in the area over the weekend.
Celebration of the SSF along the border of China-occupied Tibet with Ladakh, India. Warrior Khampa and his music. pic.twitter.com/zjdL3AzYma
– sorig ladakhspa (ソ ナ ム ・ リ グ ゼ ン ・ ラ ダ ク パ) (@ sonamrigzin1) September 1, 2020
It is a force that even defense forces are reluctant to talk about, a force under the direct administrative control of the cabinet secretary and the PMO, but fighting alongside the Army on the most difficult terrain. With tensions rising along the Royal Line of Control in eastern Ladakh, the Special Border Force or SFF is back in focus.
The PLA’s Western Theater Command moved to the Galwan Valley with its salami cutting move. The resistance and the counter movement on the Indian side have been led by the SFF. This is a force with almost 60 years of history behind it. The top secret guerrilla regiment, also known as Establishment 22 (read as two-two), was raised by the Nehru government in 1962, during the war with China.
The unit, now based at Chakrata in Uttarakhand, was tasked with engaging in covert operations behind enemy lines in the harsh mountainous terrain of the Himalayas.
The SFF was drawn from the ethnic Tibetans who have an ax to grind against the Chinese. The first recruits were some of the guards who had fled Tibet together with the Dalai Lama.
Indian intelligence officials enlisted the help of Tibetan guerrillas from Chushi Gangdruk to create this top-secret unit comprised of Tibetan refugees in India and the dreaded Khampa warriors.
Just a week after the founding of this force, China declared a ceasefire in the 1962 war. But its training continued. The guerrilla war veteran, Major General Sujan Singh Uban, was the first inspector general of the force. Over the years, the SFF has repeatedly demonstrated its mettle in various war theaters.
They played a key role in stopping Pakistani forces in Chhittagong during the Bangladesh War of 1971, Operation Bluestar in 1984, in the safety of the Siachen Glacier in 1984, and Kargil’s war against Pakistan in 1999.
Although not officially part of the Army, many officers, including former Army Chief Dalbir Suhag, have spent time with the force in delegation. Each command of the unit is trained in mountain warfare, guerrilla warfare, clandestine operations, and intelligence gathering, among others.
Also known as Vikasis, the SFF jaws are trained to fight to the last man standing. One day, surely one day, we will teach the Chinese a lesson, ”says his regimental song.
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