Fall of Se La and Bomdila

01The pass that was bypassed

After Tawang was given up in late October, 4 Division put 62 Brigade on Se La, a second force at Dirang below it and a third at Bomdila. In mid-November Chinese columns moved through the forest on old trails and came out behind Se La, on the road to Dirang. Near Nuranang, below the pass, Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat of 4 Garhwal Rifles fought on at his post and was killed there; a shrine at Jaswantgarh keeps his memory and soldiers still tend it as though he were on duty.

02Withdrawal under fire

With the road behind them cut, the order came on the night of 17 November to pull back from Se La. Moving down a single road with the enemy already across it, the brigade broke into small groups; its commander, Brigadier Hoshiar Singh, was killed in the withdrawal. Dirang was abandoned the same night. On 18 November the Chinese attacked Bomdila and took it. Three days later Beijing announced a ceasefire and later pulled back north of the McMahon Line, leaving the Kameng hills to India once more.