Lieutenant Colonel Dhan Singh Thapa Magar was born on 10 April 1928 in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. His father’s name was Padam Singh Thapa Magar. Dhan Singh Thapa Magar joined the 1st Battalion, 8 Gorkha Rifles on 28 August 1949. The Sino-Indian War began in October 1962 and the 1st Battalion of the 8 Gorkha Rifles was on the northern flank. And its command was in the hands of Major Dhan Singh Thapa Magar. Lieutenant Colonel Dhan Singh Thapa Magar was a recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest military decoration.
Colonel Dhan Singh Thapa Military Career
Lieutenant Colonel Dhan Singh Thapa Magar, PVC was an officer of the Indian Army. Thapa Magar was commissioned into the 1st Battalion, 8 Gorkha Rifles in 1949. Major Thapa was promoted to Lieutenant on 21 February 1951. And became second lieutenant on 21 February 1951. He received a permanent commission as Lieutenant on 29 September 1956 and was promoted to Captain on 21 February 1957. India and China were at loggerheads over disputed borders in the Himalayan region for a long time. On the night of 19–20 October 1962, they attacked the eastern sector of the Indian defenses. The same night they attacked posts in the Galwan, Chip Chap, and Pangong areas of Ladakh. Post Srijap 1 was established by the 1st Battalion of the 8 Gorkha Rifles on the northern bank of Pangong Lake.
This was part of a series of posts created to implement the “Forward Policy”. His battalion was sent north of Pangong Lake with the objective of capturing Sirijap and Yula from the Chinese. 1 A post was established by the 1st Battalion of the 8 Gorkha Rifles on the northern bank of Pangong Lake. The outpost was surrounded by better-armed Chinese forces. There were several attacks on him but he repulsed three attacks. Eventually, the post was captured and the survivors, including Thapa Magar, were taken as prisoners of war. For the gallant actions of Colonel Dhan Singh Thapa and his efforts, he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra. Major Thapa Magar was released from captivity after the war ended.
Prisoner of War
Major Thapa told that he was badly treated during his captivity. He had to face various punishments against the military convention. He was forced to make a statement against the Government of India but he did not make any such statement. And he was also given some kind of punishment for killing Chinese soldiers. But he was released after the war ended in November 1962.
Later Life
After retirement, Major Dhan Singh Thapa settled in Lucknow with his family. He is survived by his wife Shukla Thapa and their three children. There he served for a brief period as a director of Sahara Airlines. And he died on 6 September 2005. In the 1980s, the Shipping Corporation of India, a Government of India enterprise under the aegis of the Ministry of Shipping, named fifteen of its crude oil tankers in honor of PVC recipients.
