Yet, on the way to the airport, Palit failed to tell Kaul, who until then was his direct boss, that according to the Intelligence Bureau chief, he would be facing at least two Chinese regiments. Until then (especially since Kaul was basing his optimism on the Dalvi-Prasad appreciation), the assumption was that on the Thagla Ridge and forward slopes there was just the one company of the PLA (equivalent to an Indian infantry battalion). This vital piece of information being held back at this critical juncture must rate as one of the most serious omissions of the war, bordering perhaps on
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