General Thapar, in his wisdom, had decided that the only way to reverse the situation in NEFA was to find commanders who had won gallantry awards in the past to take charge. This was one of the most cockeyed decisions of 1962. Most of these officers were comfortably heading towards retirement. They had to be uprooted from their cushy jobs and sent to a windswept Himalayan pass to fight a battle in near arctic conditions. Palit, who had driven Pathania around Se-la in the morning, was struck by his lack of enthusiasm. ‘…I had received the impression that he seemed dispirited and sluggish. His
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