– By Vinayak Barot
New Delhi: The world’s fourth strongest nation after the US, China, and Russia, Now India is capable enough to defeat its enemy at Land, Water and Air. India’s Special Frontier Force (SFF) is strong enough to break the teeth of any enemy.
The World has witnessed the valour and might of the Indian Army when Indian border have been challenged, and The Special Frontier Force has shown its might on every front.
India has deployed SFF on the Thakung and Kala which is top peaks on the southern bank of Pagong Lake. India is holding at an advantageous position and the Chinese were not allowed to dominate, this comes true because of Special Frontier Force action. There are many such stories of SFF bravery.
According to history, After the India-China war, In November 1962 the Director of Intelligence Bureau BN Mullick decided to recruit some Tibetan soldiers and the Tibetan guerrilla movement was already active in many parts of India. Some soldiers and some officers of the Tibetan Army were in Kalimpong or Darjeeling in West Bengal. Malik made contact with the Dalai Lama’s elder brother Gyalo Thondup.
After the few months, BN Mullick recruited Tibetans from among the refugees who came to India after 1959 and at that time he had six-seven thousand Tibetans, who wanted to go back to Tibet and free them from Chinese occupation. A group of recruits went to various Tibetan settlements and every young Tibetan was eager to fight for Tibet but that objective never materialized.
However, the Tibetan armies never fought against China and in this way, the Special Frontier Force was formed soon after the Sino-Indian War of 1962. It recruited only Tibetans and was initially known as the 22 Battalion. It was named the 22 Battalion because it was formed by Major General Sujan Singh Uban, the Artillery Officer of the 22 Mountain Regiment and he was the first Inspector General of the SFF. Now, along with Tibetans, Gurkhas are also being recruited.
Over the time, the Special Frontier Force became under India Army and it was named Development Battalion. Former Army Chief General Dalbir Singh has led it once upon a time while in his service.
The SFF units have also taken part in several covert operations, and these include India’s 1971 war with Pakistan, Operation Blue Star at the Golden Temple Amritsar, the Kargil conflict, and the counter-terrorism operations in the country. The SFF units function as any other army unit in operational areas despite having a separate charter and history.
