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Battle of Bum La Pass

Battle of Bum La Pass
Part of Sino-Indian War
Indo-China border at Bum La Pass in the Zemithang circle
Date 23 October 1962 Location Bum La Pass Result Overall Chinese victory Phases 1 and 2: Chinese forces retreat Phase 3: Chinese victory
Belligerents
India	China
Commanders and leaders
Subedar Joginder Singh (POW)	Unknown
Strength
20 Sikhs[1]	200 men per wave Total:600 Chinese[2]
Casualties and losses
19 Joginder Singh later died in Chinese captivity[1]	Most of the Army

The Battle of Bum La Pass, also known as Battle of Bum La was fought on 23 October 1962 between Indian forces led by Subedar Joginder Singh and Chinese forces.

Background[edit]

The main cause of the war was a dispute over the sovereignty of the widely separated Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh border regions. Aksai Chin, claimed by India to belong to Ladakh and by China to be part of Xinjiang, contains an important road link that connects the Chinese regions of Tibet and Xinjiang. China's construction of this road was one of the triggers of the conflict.^{[citation needed]}

Battle[edit]

The post at Bum La Pass was attacked by the Chinese forces on the 23rd October 1962.^[3] They were invading the town of Tawang and on the ancient path coming down from Bum La.^[4] The Chinese engaged in a battle with 20 Sikhs led by Joginder Singh. The leading battalion of the Chinese attacked in three different waves, with about 200 attacking each wave.^[5] The Sikh troops "...mowed down the first wave and the enemy temporarily halted by the heavy losses it suffered".^[6] Joginder asked for more ammunition from the Company HQ but the telephone line had been cut.^[7] "Within a few minutes, a second wave came over and was dealt with similarly," reads the Citation of Indian Army about Joginder Singh and the battle of IB Ridge.^[1] By now, only half of the Sikh soldiers were able to remain in the fight and ammunition was practically exhausted.^[2] As the third wave of Chinese troops advanced, Singh manned a machine gun and ordered his remaining soldiers fix bayonets.^[4] The heroic yet ultimately futile bayonet charge caught the Chinese by surprise. The Sikhs were able to disrupt the Chinese advance briefly before they were cut down by automatic fire.^[2] It is believed that Joginder Singh single-handedly killed 56 soldiers. He was taken into Chinese captivity where he would later die.^[1]

See also[edit]

• Aksai Chin
• Joginder Singh (soldier)

References[edit]

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