ONTINUED

....Signals officer had a role to play, others apart from the mess staff providing unending supply of mugs of coffee and tea were just hanging around, trying to look involved and useful not unlike friends and relations holding vigil outside the Operating Theatre with some

near and dear one on the surgeon’s table inside.

Willy-nilly the Brigade HQ swung into action Maj Pereira took charge of the situation. Commander was located in the guest room of the Mahar Regiment at the Tezpur airfield next door to the air field from where his IAC plane was to take off early next morning carrying

him thousands of miles away to Meerut in North India.

The plane did takeoff the next morning. However, his seat was empty. He took another seat but in a helicopter back to Tawang.

And soon with a knee-jerk reaction, the Brigade tasked and well entrenched for the protection of Tawang was ordered to exit and move to relieve the post and drive the Chinese out of the Indian Territory.

The cleverly baited Trap, laid on 8th of September, was, to be sprung shut, with frightening consequences, on the 20th of October