In our day-to-day life we often come across instances when our instincts help avert a tragedy or our ‘sixth sense’ forewarn a looming danger – be it a person or a situation. I am sure each one of us would have had such an experience some time or the other.

As a soldier, at times, one has to trust one’s ‘gut feelings’ in a piquant circumstance or when there is information void about the adversary or a tactical situation. It is a matter of debate of course, if whether sixth sense is actually existent. Or is it an extension of your experience and knowledge that have accumulated over the years and which remain dormant in the inner sanctum of the brain and get triggered by a particularly precarious situation? In a lighter vein, a soldier’s ‘sixth sense’ in ‘martial’ matters may not be too different from a proverbial wife’s sixth sense in ‘marital’ affairs!! Operational decisions are mostly made based on facts and analysis of inputs obtained from the environment. But many a time, it is decisions made based on sheer ‘gut feelings’ that can turn the tables. Let me share with you one such instance where my soldierly instincts saved the day for me and my men. However, in doing so, I will refrain from naming people and locations to maintain confidentiality of information which may, by a stretch of imagination (!), have a direct or an indirect consequence on me or my family.
08 March 2005 (Somewhere in the North East): Having gathered adequate ‘intelligence’ about presence of militants in X village located about 20 kms from the nearest road head in the midst of a hilly-jungle terrain, I decided to launch a ‘search and destroy mission’ with the ultimate aim to purge X village from the clutches of militants. A month earlier one of my area domination patrols had a ‘chance’ encounter with militants near this village, and that’s how I decided to tackle it presuming militants had set up a ‘base’ here. As per plans, Column A was to approach from the west and Column B from the east, each column comprising one officer and 50 men. I, the Commanding Officer, was to follow Column B with my Quick Reaction Team, one ‘bound’ behind, with a view to monitor the progress of operation in-situ. 
After about 10 hours of tactical march I suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of unease about my operational plans. I really don’t know what prompted me, but I felt the urgent need to change my plans on the spur-of-the-moment. So, I asked both the columns to halt and establish ‘harbours’ wherever they were instead of proceeding to the originally earmarked ‘rendezvous’. 
Early next morning I directed Column A to back-track half a kilometre and follow a jungle trail along a spur, leading to a different ridge line, which also converged on the target village from a south-west direction as opposed to the planned western approach. Lo and behold, this column spied three militants about two kilometres short of the target village, cooking in the open, obviously, least expecting our troops to approach from this direction. In a brief encounter that ensued, two militants were eliminated while the third one managed to escape. When the column subsequently reached the village it came to light that the track, on which the column was supposed to have originally traversed, was extensively booby trapped with loads of ‘improvised explosive devices’, ball bearings and nails embedded in them, laid out in a zigzag pattern all along the spur. The very thought of my men walking into this ‘trap’ gives me goose bumps even today. 
Meanwhile, I caught up with Column B in the morning and headed towards the target area. As we reached an open cultivated field close to the village, which was the original ‘harbour’ location, we found glowing embers of firewood on the edge of the field at three places. A farmer working in the nearby fields confirmed that about 20 militants had spent the night there and returned to the village only about an hour earlier. Can you visualise the magnitude of disaster had the column arrived the night previous as scheduled? Since it was a moonlit night the column would have been virtual sitting ducks for an ‘ambush’ in the open field! 
Later, as we entered the village, one more militant was accounted for as they tried to make good their escape, taking our tally to three ‘kills’. But more than the thrill of ‘kills’, it was the ‘change in plans’ affected by a ‘gut feeling’ which gave me an inflated sense of confidence in my own professional capabilities! I really don’t know the basis on which I had changed the plans but, probably, it was my ‘sixth sense’ or the so called ‘gut feeling’ which saved the day for me and my men. Or else I would have cooked my goose and many soldiers martyred for sure on that night of 08th March 2005.

 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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