The Lone Charge of Tithwal
CHM Piru Singh's Single-Handed Assault
At Tithwal in July 1948, when the attack stalled and officers fell, Company Havildar Major Piru Singh took charge. Armed with a sten gun and grenades, he charged enemy positions single-handedly, destroying three machine gun bunkers one by one. Even after being nearly blinded by a grenade blast, he continued his assault until the objective was taken - and his life was given.
The Battle Cry That Echoed Through the Mountains
"Raja Ramchandra Ki Jai!"
With this ancient battle cry invoking Lord Rama, Company Havildar Major Piru Singh led the most extraordinary one-man assault in the Kashmir War. On the night of July 17-18, 1948, near Tithwal in the Kishanganga Valley, a village wrestler from Rajasthan demonstrated what happens when Kshatriya dharma meets desperate circumstances.
The Strategic Importance of Tithwal
By summer 1948, the Kashmir conflict had reached a critical phase. Pakistani forces and tribal raiders had dug into defensive positions across the Kishanganga River. The Indian Army needed to push them back, and the summer offensive commenced on July 11, 1948.
The fighting around Tithwal was particularly fierce. The terrain favored the defenders - steep, forested hillsides dotted with rocky outcrops that made perfect machine gun positions. Any attacking force would have to advance uphill, exposed to withering fire from multiple directions.
The 6th Battalion of the Rajputana Rifles was assigned to capture two key features held in strength by the enemy. The success of the entire offensive depended on taking these heights.
The Son of Shekhawati
Piru Singh Shekhawat was born on May 20, 1918, in Rampura Beri village near Churu in Rajasthan's Shekhawati region - a land that had given warriors to India for centuries. The Shekhawats were Rajputs who traced their lineage to the martial traditions of medieval Rajputana.
As a young man, Piru Singh was known for his physical prowess. He was a wrestler, respected in the village akhara (wrestling pit), where he had learned the discipline that would later serve him in the army. On May 20, 1936 - his 18th birthday - he enrolled in the 6th Rajputana Rifles, beginning a military career that would span over a decade.
World War II Veteran
Piru Singh's service was not limited to garrison duty. He served in World War II as part of British Indian forces, including deployment to Japan with the Allied occupation forces. These years of combat experience shaped him into a seasoned soldier who understood both the chaos of battle and the importance of leadership.