Chewang Rinchen
Encyclopedia
Colonel Chewang Rinchen MVC (Bar), SM was an officer in the Indian Army from the Ladakh
region of Jammu and Kashmir
.
Rinchen joined the Nubra Guard in 1948, and served in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947
alongside Indian Army units. Fighting in the Nubra Valley
, he was promoted through the ranks, and was awarded a Mahavir Chakra for bravery.
Rinchen also served in the 1962 India-China War, where he was awarded a Sena Medal
. In the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Rinchen, now a Major in the Ladakh Scouts led the capture of the Chalunka complex of the Pakistani Army and the strategic outpost of Turtuk. For these actions, he was awarded a bar to his MVC, being one of only six Indian soldiers so honoured.
Rinchen retired as a full Colonel in 1984. He was appointed honorary Colonel of the Ladakh Scouts. The Indian Army has named an army shopping complex after him in Leh.
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
region of Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
.
Rinchen joined the Nubra Guard in 1948, and served in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947
The India-Pakistan War of 1947-48, sometimes known as the First Kashmir War, was fought between India and Pakistan over the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu from 1947 to 1948. It was the first of four wars fought between the two newly independent nations...
alongside Indian Army units. Fighting in the Nubra Valley
Nubra Valley
Nubra Valley is about 150 km north of Leh, the capital town of Ladakh, India. Local scholars say that its original name was Ldumra . The Shyok River meets the Nubra or Siachan River to form a large valley that separates the Ladakh and the Karakoram Ranges. The average altitude of the valley is...
, he was promoted through the ranks, and was awarded a Mahavir Chakra for bravery.
Rinchen also served in the 1962 India-China War, where he was awarded a Sena Medal
Sena Medal
This article is about the Sena Medal, an Indian Military decoration. 'SM' redirects here 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...
. In the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
Rinchen, now a Major in the Ladakh Scouts led the capture of the Chalunka complex of the Pakistani Army and the strategic outpost of Turtuk. For these actions, he was awarded a bar to his MVC, being one of only six Indian soldiers so honoured.
Rinchen retired as a full Colonel in 1984. He was appointed honorary Colonel of the Ladakh Scouts. The Indian Army has named an army shopping complex after him in Leh.