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He blew the whistle on the Kargil intruders

Batalik: He may have lost his yak, but this poor shepherd who was first to inform the Army about Pakistani intrusion in Kargil in 1999, feels the service he has done to the country matters more to him.

Recounting his experience, Tashi Namgyal told PTI, “I had gone to search for my yak on the top of the Banju hill in the Batalik and while looking through my binoculars, I saw six Pakistani soldiers patrolling the area.

“I immediately rushed to inform the nearest Indian Army post about the intrusion. I am proud of this as it matters so much for a person like me.”

He did not find his yak, but says the Army “more than compensated” for the loss. “I got a lot of support from the Army at that time, and their formations here still recognise my contribution,” he said. Apart from the one-time award of Rs. 50,000 by 8 Mountain Division commander in 1999, he has since been getting regular monetary help from the Army.

“All the commanders in the area have helped me whenever I was in a crisis,” he said.

“Three years after the war, I had found the body of a 1/11 Gorkha Rifles soldier on Kukarthang ridge, which helped the soldier’s family in getting the compensation,” he said, adding he also helped in retrieving the body of Major M. Sarvanan of 1 Bihar Regiment.

Mr. Namgyal said his role in the war helped bring his community — Aryans — into the limelight. “I hope the 10th anniversary of the Kargil war reminds the State government about its responsibility towards the community members and me,” he said. — PTI

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