Every year on 27 October, India celebrates Infantry Day to honour the bravehearts who landed at Srinagar in 1947 and prevented Jammu and Kashmir from falling to Pakistan-backed tribal invaders. Their arrival marked a defining moment in the military history of independent India. Amid the violence, uncertainty and upheaval of Partition, Indian infantrymen raced against time to defend a strategically vital region and prevent Srinagar from falling into enemy hands. Their swift deployment secured the Valley’s principal airfield and helped preserve India’s position in Kashmir. However, the significance of this campaign extends far beyond the battlefield. The military and political decisions taken during those turbulent weeks shaped the territorial division of Jammu and Kashmir and created a geopolitical dispute that continues to affect South Asia. Infantry Day commemorates the story of how a handful of battalions, flown in civilian planes, changed the fate of the valley.
BETRAYED, BESIEGED AND BEGGING FOR HELP: THE POLITICAL ROAD TO INFANTRY DAY
Following the Partition of British India on 15 August 1947, more than 560 princely states faced the choice of acceding to India, joining Pakistan, or attempting to remain independent. Maharaja Hari Singh, the Dogra Hindu ruler of Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir, initially sought to preserve his state’s independence. He proposed standstill agreements to both dominions to maintain existing administrative and economic arrangements. While Pakistan accepted the proposal, India sought further discussions. Islamabad then began squeezing the state. Food, petrol and salt coming through Rawalpindi dried up, and rail and telegraph links were cut. Meanwhile, Sheikh Abdullah, the Valley’s influential political leader, remained imprisoned by the Maharaja’s government. Srinagar was isolated, short of money and politically divided long before the first shot was fired across its border.
Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah.
On 22 October 1947, thousands of Pashtun tribal fighters, including Mahsuds, Afridis and Wazirs, crossed into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan’s North-West Frontier region via Muzaffarabad. The invasion, codenamed as Operation Gulmarg, received backing from Pakistani military officers operating covertly. The raiders overwhelmed the outnumbered Jammu and Kashmir State Forces, captured Muzaffarabad and advanced towards Baramulla, leaving destruction in their wake. At Baramulla, they looted homes, markets, a hospital and a Christian missionary convent, losing valuable time that could have brought them closer to Srinagar. This delay proved crucial, giving the Maharaja’s administration precious hours as the threat to the capital intensified. With his forces collapsing and Srinagar facing imminent danger, Maharaja Hari Singh left the capital for Jammu around 25 October and urgently appealed to New Delhi for military assistance.
New Delhi’s answer came through V.P. Menon, Secretary of the States Department, who flew first to Srinagar and then to Jammu. The Defence Committee — Nehru, Sardar Patel and Governor General Mountbatten — faced a legal tangle: Indian troops could not enter a state that had not acceded. The breakthrough came when the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession on 26 October 1947, formally acceding Jammu and Kashmir to India. Governor-General Lord Mountbatten accepted the instrument on 27 October. Sheikh Abdullah recently released from prison and commanding considerable popular support in the Valley, also backed accession to India. With the legal hurdle addressed and Srinagar facing imminent danger, the government authorised an emergency military airlift. Sardar Patel pressed for decisive action, Nehru remained concerned about political legitimacy, and Mountbatten feared war with Pakistan — but the planes were already warming their engines.
FROM TARMAC TO TRENCHES: HOW THE INFANTRY FORTIFIED SRINAGAR
The military’s response was audacious and a race against time. With no feasible way to move reinforcements overland quickly enough, India relied on an emergency airlift to save Srinagar. Around a hundred civilian Dakota DC-3s from Air India, Deccan Airways and other operators were requisitioned, and civilian pilots — including a young Biju Patnaik — volunteered to fly them through the treacherous Pir Panjal weather. The first wave, some 300 men of 1 Sikh under Lieutenant Colonel Dewan Ranjit Rai, landed at the Srinagar airfield on the morning of 27 October 1947. The soldiers rushed swiftly from the tarmac towards the Baramulla road to confront the advancing raiders and protect the capital. Even four armoured cars of the 7th Light Cavalry were squeezed into Dakotas and reassembled on the ground. With Srinagar under imminent threat, every aircraft landing carried immense strategic significance.
Lieutenant Colonel Dewan Ranjit Rai.
Rai’s battalion engaged the advancing raiders almost immediately, mounting delaying actions near Pattan to buy vital time for reinforcements arriving by air. Additional Indian troops, including elements of the Kumaon Regiment and Jammu and Kashmir State Forces, gradually strengthened the defence. Lieutenant Colonel Dewan Ranjit Rai led his men from the front and died in action on the very first day. The Indian Army later awarded him the Maha Vir Chakra. Meanwhile, the Royal Indian Air Force deployed Spitfires and Tempests to attack enemy concentrations and transport along the approaches to the Valley. The raiders, who had advanced rapidly against the state’s weakening defences, now faced organised infantry resistance and air attacks. Their progress towards Srinagar slowed, allowing Indian commanders to reinforce defensive positions and prepare a counteroffensive. Within days, the momentum of invaders, built entirely on terror and speed, began to crack.
The turning point came on 7 November 1947 at Shalateng, on the outskirts of Srinagar. Under Brigadier L. P. Sen, the 161 Infantry Brigade launched a coordinated assault against the advancing tribal forces. The offensive inflicted heavy losses on the raiders and forced them to retreat towards Baramulla, abandoning vehicles, weapons and other supplies as they withdrew. Indian troops recaptured Baramulla on 8 November and advanced towards Uri, which they secured on 13 November. With the immediate threat to Srinagar contained, the Army expanded its operations across other strategically important sectors. Brigadier Pritam Singh led the defence of Poonch, while Brigadier Mohammad Usman played a crucial role in holding Naushera against repeated enemy attacks. Indian forces employed Stuart light tanks to overcome the formidable Zoji La pass. This operation helped reopen the route towards Kargil and Leh, strengthening India’s position in Ladakh.
THE BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE: THE MEN WHO BOUGHT SRINAGAR WITH THEIR BLOOD
No account of the defence of Kashmir is complete without the Battle of Badgam. On 3 November, 1947, a company of 4 Kumaon under Major Somnath Sharma was guarding the approaches to Srinagar when a far stronger tribal force descended on them. Despite having his right arm in plaster, Sharma refused to leave his men. He moved between defensive positions, encouraged his soldiers and helped direct their fire as the fighting intensified and casualties mounted. Even as the enemy pressed forward, he remained determined to hold the position and prevent its advance towards Srinagar. Major Sharma was killed during the battle when enemy mortar fire struck near his position. For his exceptional courage and leadership, he was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, becoming its first recipient. His sacrifice became an enduring symbol of infantry valour and helped secure a vital chapter in India’s defence of Kashmir.
Major Somnath Sharma, PVC.
Other soldiers displayed the same extraordinary courage across the battlefield. At Naushera, Naik Jadunath Singh repeatedly repelled enemy assaults before making the ultimate sacrifice. His gallantry earned him the Param Vir Chakra posthumously. Brigadier Mohammad Usman, who had chosen to remain with the Indian Army despite Pakistan’s offer to join its ranks, earned the title Lion of Naushera for his leadership during the campaign. He was killed in action at Jhangar in July 1948. Second Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane also distinguished himself by clearing mines and roadblocks under intense enemy fire, enabling Indian forces to maintain their advance towards Rajouri. Their contributions reflected the determination that sustained India’s military operations across multiple fronts. By the end of 1948, Indian forces had secured the Kashmir Valley, defended key areas of Jammu and strengthened their position in Ladakh.
THE CEASEFIRE RECONSIDERED: HOW A POLITICAL MISJUDGEMENT TRUNCATED A MILITARY VICTORY
It is here that the story shifts from the battlefield to diplomacy. On 1 January 1948, even while the army was gaining ground, Nehru without consulting the military experts took the Kashmir complaint to the UNSC, expecting world opinion to force Pakistan to disown the raiders and withdraw. Instead, the dispute got internationalised. Britain and America, wary of pushing Pakistan towards the Soviet bloc, treated aggressor and victim as moral equals. The UN commission promised a plebiscite that never happened, because Islamabad never met the first condition — pulling its forces out. Fighting dragged on through the year, and on 1 January 1949 a ceasefire froze the ground positions as the Ceasefire Line, renamed the LoC after Simla Agreement in 1972.
The decision to seek a ceasefire remains one of the most contentious episodes in independent India’s strategic history. Senior commanders, including future chiefs, believed the army was within reach of clearing the entire state — Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Skardu and beyond — had the pressure continued. Morale was high, the lashkar was shattered, and Pakistan’s regulars were thinly stretched. Instead, roughly a third of the former princely state, the territory India calls Pakistan-occupied Kashmir including Gilgit-Baltistan, stayed under Islamabad’s control, a wound kept open for nearly eight decades. Nehru trusted multilateralism and moral authority; the Security Council offered him neither. Infantry Day, then, is not only a salute to the men who flew into Srinagar. It is also a quiet reminder of what soldierly valour can win — and what political hesitation can give away.
INFANTRY DAY: A LEGACY OF COURAGE AND STRATEGIC LESSONS
The significance of 27 October 1947 lies in the valour of the Indian infantrymen who defended Srinagar against staggering odds. Their timely arrival prevented the capital from falling and enabled India to reinforce its position in Kashmir. Their actions laid the groundwork for subsequent military operations and helped safeguard a region of immense strategic significance. Yet, the campaign also highlights the enduring relationship between military success and political decision-making. Achievements on the battlefield must align with clearly defined strategic objectives, while diplomacy must reflect ground realities. The events of 1947 teach that national security requires not only courage and professional military leadership but also logistical preparedness and political foresight. Infantry Day is therefore both a tribute to fallen soldiers and a reminder of the responsibilities that accompany military victory. The men who fought in Kashmir left a legacy that continues to shape India’s understanding of sovereignty, security, and national resolve.
