New Delhi: The landmark marking the site of one of the legendary battles fought by Indian soldiers at Rezang La during the 1962 Sino-India conflict in Ladakh was dismantled by the Army as part of the disengagement process with China.This was revealed by Konchok Stanzin, the councillor of Chushul in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, by an update on social media on Monday (December 25).This landmark at Rezang-La held immense significance, honoring the courageous soldiers of “C” Coy 13 Kumaon. Sadly, it had to be dismantled during the disengagement process as it falls in the buffer zone. Let’s remember and honor their bravery! 🙏 #RezangLa #Kumaon #BraveSoldiers pic.twitter.com/UILzTeNYsi— Konchok Stanzin (@kstanzinladakh) December 25, 2023Haqeeqat, the Hindi film released in 1964 to national acclaim, was constructed around the battle of Rezang La in Ladakh and showcased a fictionalised version of the last stand of ‘C’ Company, 13 Kumaon led by Major Shaitan Singh. It is considered one of the greatest black-and-white war films ever made, and remembered for the song, Ab tumhare hawale watan saathyion.The dismantling of the site was undertaken in February 2021, after India and China announced disengagement at Pangong Tso, when a buffer zone was created on the north bank of the lake and to its south.Union defence minister Rajnath Singh had announced the disengagement between Indian and Chinese troops in the Rajya Sabha on February 11, 2021.No details about the disengagement process or buffer zones have been shared by the Modi government with the nation so far. The news of the landmark being dismantled was revealed for the first time by the elected councillor on Monday. The defence ministry and the army have not refuted the councillor’s statement.Rezang La in Chushul sector saw a gallant battle fought till the “last man” and the “last round” by the ‘C’ company of the 13 Kumaon battalion, which was led by Major Shaitan Singh. Against all odds and grossly outnumbered, the valiant soldiers repulsed seven attacks by the Chinese, launched in waves.Despite heavy artillery shelling and fierce Chinese assaults, Major Shaitan Singh and his 113 bravehearts delivered the heaviest blow to the Chinese.As per the defence ministry, “For several hours the outcome of the battle hung in [the] balance. Men were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. The Indian Company Commander even tried to launch a platoon counterattack to regain the height, Point 5300 but did not succeed.“The telephone line to the Battalion HQ was cut and the company radio set was destroyed in the initial stages. C Company 13 KUMAON was now on its own. No reinforcements could reach them. For them it was a fight to the finish.”The valour of the Charlie Company not only successfully stopped China’s advance, but it also resulted in the Chushul airport being saved, thereby preventing a possible Chinese occupation of the entire Ladakh region in 1962. General K.S. Thimayya was to state: “You rarely come across such [an] example in the annals of world military history when braving such heavy odds, the men fought till the last bullet and the last man. Certainly the Battle of Rezang La is such a shining example.”Among those at Rezang La, 114 soldiers perished in the fighting while five were captured by the Chinese. Singh was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra while another nine gallantry awards were won by the sub-unit, including five Vir Chakras and four Sena Medals. Singh was the second winner of the Param Vir Chakra.Subsequently, the ‘C’ Company was re-raised and rechristened as ‘Rezang La Company’ in 1963. Honorary captain Ram Chander Yadav and Havaldar Nihal Singh, two of the survivors, spoke about it on the fiftieth anniversary of the battle.