Born and brought up in the Pynthorumkhrah locality of Shillong, Subedar Major Yam Bahadur Thapa is an unsung hero from the state, who risked his life and sustained bullet injuries in protecting the Parliament complex from the infamous December 13, 2001 terror attack.
Speaking to Highland Post, Thapa said he is happy to be back in Shillong where his journey in serving the country began.
Thapa is a recipient of the Shaurya Chakra, the third-highest gallantry award that can be given out in peacetime, behind only the Ashoka Chakra and Kirti Chakra.
The Subedar Major studied at the Nepali High School in Madan Laban, Shillong, before being recruited into the 53 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in 1985.
Rising from humble beginnings, he joined the lower ranks of the CRPF and was eventually promoted to his current rank where he serves in the 67 Battalion in Shillong.
Thapa’s stints have included serving as part of the ill-fated Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka at the height of that country’s civil war in the 1980s.
The most fateful moment of his career, however, came in 2001 when he was one of the security personnel on duty when terrorists attacked the Parliament complex in New Delhi. In doing his duty, Thapa was shot twice in the leg.
“It was close to noon on the fateful day of December 13, 2001. Parliament had been adjourned for 40 minutes but about a hundred people, including the political elites, were still in the building. LK Advani, the Home Minister at the time, and Jaswant Singh, the then Foreign Minister, were just two of these VVIPs. CRPF officials, Delhi police personnel, security guards and Parliament helpers were working on the premises as usual. The morning was uneventful and had passed like any other, but within minutes, a terrorist attack was launched, shaking the capital to its core,” he recalled.
“I was doing my duty as a fully armed Head Constable at gate number eight with personnel Sukhwinder Singh when the attack took place. We heard gunshots,” Thapa said. “I ran and took position behind a pillar while Sukhvinder took guard behind a wall near gate three. We both started firing at one of the terrorists who was wearing some explosives and was running towards gate number one. Soon, there was an explosion and I saw that one of the terrorists had died. When I tried to move, I just couldn’t. I looked and there was blood all over. I had been hit.”
Stating that they have no idea how the white ambassador car with a red batti (light) and fully loaded with 40 kilogrammes of explosives used by the terrorists managed to enter gate number 11 of the premises, he said, “The other terrorists were killed by CRPF constables Santosh Kumar and Shyambir Singh.”
Thapa says he is proud that they were able to stop the attack from wreaking greater havoc inside Parliament, even though nine people were killed by the terrorists before they were finally felled.
He said that the four CRPF constables who shot the terrorists were rightfully awarded the Shaurya Chakra and received promotions.
“I’m happy to be back in Shillong for the second time where everything started right from my school days and I’m always ready to help and the people of the state at whatever level I can,” he added.
