Lansdowne to be renamed after Jaswant Singh: Who was 1962 war hero?

The Lansdowne Cantonment Board in Uttarakhand has proposed naming Lansdowne town after 1962 India-China war hero Jaswant Singh.

According to sources, the resolution to rename the popular tourist spot after Singh was passed by the board at a meet chaired by its president Brigadier Vijay Mohan Chaudhary.

This comes after the defence ministry had sought proposals from all cantonment boards to rechristen places named during the British era.

But what do we know about the town? Why was it renamed after Lansdowne? And who was Singh?

Let’s take a closer look:

The town and the British viceroy

The town was called previously “Kalaun ka Danda” – meaning a hill surrounded by dark clouds.

The town was named Lansdowne on 21 September, 1890, – 132 years ago – after the then British viceroy Lord Henry Lansdowne.

As per Indian Express, Lansdowne was Viceroy of India from 1888 to 1894. The fifth Marquess of Lansdowne previously also served as Governor General of Canada, Secretary of State for War and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the United Kingdom.

He also led the House of Lords.

He is infamous in India for his handing of the 1891 Manipur rebellion.

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As per The Times of India, the town presently hosts the regimental centre of the Indian Army’s Garwhal Rifles regiment.

The town is one of Uttarakhand’s most popular hill stations, as per the Hindu.

As per Indian Express, Lansdowne is a Category III cantonment town.

With a total area of 1503.8 acres, it had a population of 5,667 civilians and military personnel according to the 2011 Census.

Who was Jaswant Singh?

Singh hailed from Baria village in Pauri district’s Beeronkhal area.

Singh in 1962 was deployed in the 4th battalion of Garhwal Rifles at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

According to Indian Express, Singh’s outfit during the war with China thwarted two People’s Liberation Army attacks on their position.

When the PLA attacked again, they set up a medium machine gun close to Indian defenders’ positions and was unleashing round after round of fire.

Singh, using covering fire from Lance Naik Trilok Singh Negi and Rifleman Gopal Singh Gusain, managed to kill the five Chinese sentries and even seize the gun itself.

Negi and Gusain died and Singh was left seriously injured.

However, Singh stuck at his post even after his company withdrew.

According to Indian Express, Singh was assisted by two local girls – one of whom was killed and the other captured by the PLA.

“Since 5am that day, the Chinese were attacking in waves. Rifleman Jaswant Singh along with others beat back two PLA groups. Then the Chinese started firing from an MMG from a close range. Jaswant Singh Rawat along with Lance Naik Trilok Singh Negi and Rifleman Gopal Singh Gusain tried to subdue the MMG. Rawat and Gusain, with covering fire from Negi, tried to seize the MMG. While returning, Gusain and Negi lost their lives. Rawat was severely injured. He was asked to go back. He fought with the help of two local girls, Sela and Noora. They were jumping on different sides of the bunker…The Chinese army for 72 hours could not gauge how many people were there," Major Tushar Chaudhary  told News18.

Singh eventually died in battle on 17 November at Tawang.  He had prevented the Chinese troops from advancing for 72 hours.

According to News18, more than 300 Chinese soldiers died in this battle.

Singh was awarded the Maha Vir Charka – the second-highest gallantry award – posthumously.

A war memorial honouring Singh has been erected around 25 kilometres away from Tawang, according to News18.

The defence ministry continues to give Singh a pension and promotions as a sign of respect.

“He is always with us. It is said that he guards his post even today. If any soldier while on guard falls asleep, Rifleman Jaswant Singh slaps him and asks him to do his duty,” Major Chaudhary told News18.

Some oppose renaming town

While Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has also said that British-era names that harken back to India’s colonial past will be changed, some remain opposed to the move.

An office-bearer, speaking to The Times of India on condition of anonymity, confirmed that some locals are against this proposal.

The Lansdowne Cantonment Board, in its proposal saying that renaming the town after the war hero would be a logical move, noted that some locals are against such a move. An office-bearer confirmed to The Times of India that some residents are against this proposal.

Some argue it would lead to a loss of the town’s identity and affect tourism.

“Lansdowne is a land of brave hearts and a well-known tourist destination. If its name is changed, it will lose its identity. Tourism, which is the main trade here, will be adversely affected. Its old name should be retained in public interest. I will soon send a proposal to this effect to the government,” local BJP MLA Dilip Singh Rawat told PTI.

“We, in the first place, want that this board to be dissolved. Rather than doing that, they are thinking to change the name of the place. This is wrong and unfortunate,” Rawat told the Hindu.

This isn’t the first time such a change has been opposed. A proposal to rename it “Kalau Danda” fell by the wayside. As did another proposition to rename it after Lord Subedar Balbhadra Singh.

On both occasions, the government had to step back in the face of disapproval from locals.

Indeed, former cantonment board member Rajesh Dhyani said residents should have been taken into confidence before sending such a proposal to the defence ministry.

“Renaming the town is meaningless. What is needed is improvement in its infrastructure,” added former cantonment board vice president SP Naithani.

With inputs from agencies

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