Major Shaitan Singh, PVC - Battle of Rezang La 1962

Major Shaitan Singh, PVC (1 December 1924 - 18 November 1962) was an Indian Army officer, who was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the highest wartime gallantry medal, posthumously, for his leadership and courage during the Sino-Indian War of 1962 at Rezang La in the Chushul Sector.

Rezang La is a pass on the south-eastern approach to Chushul Valley in Ladakh, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India. It is 9,000 feet long and 6,000 feet wide, with an average height of 16,000 feet.

Rezang La was the site of the last stand of the 13 Kumaon, an all-Ahir Company, during the Sino-Indian War in 1962. The company led by Major Shaitan Singh, who won a posthumous Param Vir Chakra for his actions. From the Indian point of view, Rezang La had the drawback that an intervening feature blocked artillery operation, so that the Indian infantry had to do without artillery cover. In this action On 18 November 1962, 114 Indian soldiers out of a total of 123 were killed. A memorial in Rewari, where most of the Ahir soldiers came from, states that 1700 Chinese soldiers were killed in the battle.  

There is a small memorial at Rezangla, which reads:

How can a Man die Better than facing Fearful Odds,
For the Ashes of His Fathers and the Temples of His Gods,
To the sacred memory of the Heroes of Rezang  La,
114 Martyrs of 13 Kumaon  who fought to the Last Man,
Last Round, Against Hordes of Chinese on 18 November 1962.
Built by All Ranks 13th Battalion, The Kumaon   Regiment.