Dr. Konsam Himalay Singh is a former Lieutenant-General of the Indian Army. He is the first officer from the Northeast to reach the rank of Lieutenant General in the Indian Army. After his retirement, he also served as the Chairman of Manipur Public Service Commission and is currently a member of the Consultative Committee of Manipur Government on Naga Peace Talks as well as a visiting faculty member of Manipur University.

Lieutenant General Dr. Konsam Himalay Singh shared some of his battlefield experiences:

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The Kargil War

The televised war which reached many Indian homes showing the great courage of the Indian Army in Tiger Hill and Tololing in May 1999 shook the nation at large. Unknown to the nation and the media, many more battles were being fought in the icy heights of the Himalayas in areas North of Chorbatla and the Siachen Brigade. Pakistan Army attempted to cut off Indian troops in Siachen by occupying many heights dominating Turtuk and Chalunka south of the Siachen area.

It was the area where I had the privilege of commanding 27 RAJPUT during these battles during OP VIJAY (KARGIL). The capture of Point 5770 on 27 June most daring a silent day attack and killing 1 officer and 10 jawans of 3 NLI without a single casualty to own troops during the attack, thwarted the Pakistani designs.

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Indeed this action has been regarded as one of the turning points of the war by the US Naval War College along with Tololing and Tiger Hill.

I salute all my soldiers!

The Siachen

The root cause of the “Siachen Conflict’ (OP MEGHDOOT) lies in the Pakistani attempt to join NJ9842 with the Karakoram Pass as the cease-fire line while we recognized the Karachi Agreement 1949 which read as “beyond NJ9842-running north to the glaciers” (read Saltoro).

I commanded my unit 27 RAJPUT in the glaciated area between Turtuk Chalunka valleys and up to the area adjacent to the main Siachen glacier during 1998-2000 which became one of the focuses of Pakistani offensives during the Kargil war as well.

At heights beyond 16,000 feet, in extremely adverse climatic and weather conditions, living in ice caves, climbing ice walls, negotiating multiple crevasses and avalanches, cut off from the world for months except for a telephone or wireless link, under constant exchange of shelling and firing took place, every soldier who served there was a hero to me. And I am proud of the Siachen soldier