Establishment 22

The Special frontier force (SFF) unit of Tibetans – Establishment 22

An elite guerilla force (1962): Near the end of the Sino-Indian war and towards the end of 1962, the Nehru administration ordered the raising of an elite guerrilla force composed of Tibetan refugees. India's covert capabilities began to develop significantly in the wake of the 1962 war with China. Aided by the United States, the newly founded Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) developed sophisticated signals intelligence and photo-reconnaissance capabilities. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) instructors also trained Establishment 22, a covert organisation raised from among Tibetan refugees in India, to execute deep-penetration terror operations in China formation agreement was signed in 1962. The parties to this formation agreement were the Indian Intelligence Service (RAW), the CIA (for weaponry till 1972) and Chushi Gangdrug. An initial strength of 12,000 men, mostly Khampas, were recruited at Chakrata, Dehra-dun, UP.

Established under the direct supervision of the prime minister, the unit was named the Special Frontier Force. Its forces were trained and commanded by the Indian Army and the unit was meant to be air-dropped into Tibet in the event of another war in the Tibetan frontiers. The SFF became known by the code name "Establishment 22" because of its inspector general, who during World War II commanded the 22nd Mountain Regiment.

The Bangladesh War (1971): For a variety of reasons, the India-U.S. collaboration on China soured within just a few years, but the assets RAW had gained were put to good use during the 1971 Bangladesh war. While India's covert aid to the Mukti Bahini is well documented, few are aware that Establishment 22, operating under the command of Major-General Surjit Singh Uban, carried out deep-penetration strikes against Pakistani forces well under the RAW umbrella prior to the onset of the war. Using Bulgarian weapons to ensure that India could deny it was connected to their activities, General Uban's covert forces played a key role in drawing Pakistani troops forward, thus easing the conventional thrust towards Dhaka. The SFF never had a chance of being used in operations against its intended enemy, Red China, but it was used against East Pakistan with the consent of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1971. About one-third of its full strength was developed adjacent to the Chittagong Hill Tracts as Mukti Bahini. They captured many towns and garrisons in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in continuous fighting of about one month. When East Pakistan was liberated and the cease-fire was declared on December 17, 1971, casualties suffered by the SFF were 190 wounded and 56 killed, including political leader Gyato Dhondup, one of the two commanders, who was shot by snipers. The Indian government gave awards to 580 members of the force for their active involvement and bravery in the battles. The contribution made by Establishment 22 in liberating East Pakistan was great and the price paid by the force was also high, but it would have been of great value had it been used against communist China, the intended enemy. After their outstanding participation in the liberation of Bangladesh, Indira Gandhi became enamoured with the SFF. It was soon nicknamed as Indira Fauj.

The 'Chushi Gangdruk' (Four Rivers, Six Ranges): The story of these men started many years earlier. In 1950, Tibet was invaded by the Chinese People Liberation Army. During the following years, Beijing began what they called the process of 'liberation' of the Roof of the World. The eastern part of the Tibetan plateau, particularly the province of Kham that adjoins China, suffered most from the forced 'liberation.' But the local Khampas had the reputation of being the best and the most fearless soldiers in Asia since centuries. Alexandra David-Neel, the famous French explorer wrote in detail (and often with admiration) about the gentleman-brigands of Kham.

In the mid-50s, the Khampas organised themselves to fight the Chinese occupiers. Under the name of 'Chushi Gangdruk' (Four Rivers, Six Ranges) or 'National Volunteer Defence Army' the horsemen of Kham inflicted heavy casualties on the better- equipped Liberation Army. In March 1959, a few hundred of them secretly accompanied the Dalai Lama to safety in India.

A secret and a dilemma: Once the Tibetan leader was given asylum by Delhi, the Tibetan soldiers were in a dilemma: should they stop their activities against the Communist troops and follow their religious leader to exile or continue the struggle for the liberation of their motherland?

The decision was taken for them when, in late 1959, several hundreds of them were secretly offered a very special training. According to John Avedon, an American journalist who investigated the Tibetan secret war, selected Tibetan youth were first assembled in Darjeeling. Avedon explains that a senior official of the Chushi Gangdruk 'instructed the men either to leave or to sign the paper, which, as a recruitment form for the National Volunteer Defence Army, bound them to obey to the death any order given by a superior.' Forty-five years later, it still remains difficult to follow their journey as they were all under oath to not disclose their new activities (in fact, it is only years later that they would learn themselves their own itinerary).

From Darjeeling, they were smuggled through the East Pakistan border (now Bangladesh) with the connivance of Pakistani authorities. After a long journey in a sealed wagon and a car ride through East Pakistan, they were taken to an airport. Finally they boarded a small aircraft where, for the first time, they were addressed by white men who offered them a very strange blackish beverage. They would soon learn the name of this strange drink, Coca-Cola.

After a stop over in Okinawa (they believed they were in Taiwan), their journey continued. In the plane, they received their first briefing and were given strange sounding names such as Doug, Bob, Willy, Jack, Rocky, Martin or Lee. Their suspicions were confirmed: the United States of America had finally decided to help the Tibetan cause and provide the necessary training to help them free their country. After Okinawa, they landed in a second island (Hawaii) and then a city (San Francisco).

The next day they reached Camp Hale, a place located 100 km from Denver in Colorado that was used during World War II for high- altitude combat training. There, they received full commando training by the Central Intelligence Agency.

IB and RAW takes over the SFF: When the 1962 war with China broke out, India felt uncomfortable about the Tibetans being trained by the CIA. Delhi was particularly disturbed by the fact that it was organised with Pakistan knowledge. One week before Beijing declared a ceasefire, Delhi decided to act. On November 13, a clandestine Tibetan commando group was raised. The Special Frontier Forces were code- named 'Establishment 22' simply because their first inspector general had been the commander of 22 Mountain Regiment during World War II. Today, they still call themselves the '22s' (two- twos).

The force was put under the direct supervision of the Intelligence Bureau, and later, the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency. The first task of this entirely Tibetan force was to guard the Himalayan borders and eventually cross into Tibet to gather intelligence on the Chinese forces. Delhi had learned the hard way that China was not a 'bhai' (brother) and there was no short cut to reliable intelligence input on the Chinese in Tibet.

B N Mullick, Nehru's IB chief, was the main organiser of the new regiment and Major General S S Uban of the Indian Army, its first commander. Though aware of its existence, the Tibetan administration in exile dissociated itself from the venture. Violence was not acceptable to solve the Tibetan issue. But the commandos, trained by the CIA at Camp Yale, were the ideal human resource for the Indian purpose. As for the young Tibetans, they could finally dream of fighting 'officially' along with the Indian troops against the Communist forces and thus endeavor to regain one day their freedom.

Not their war: These Tibetans troops were used during Operation Bluestar. Why? Though it raises many other questions, the answer is simple: because the SFF were the best commandos available at that time, at least in Indira Gandhi's mind.

During the first years the Tibetans fulfilled their assigned mission. But one day in 1971, they received a message (conveyed through their Indian commander) from Indira Gandhi: "We cannot compel you to fight a war for us, but the fact is that General [A A K] Niazi [Pakistani army commander in East Pakistan] is treating the people of East Pakistan very badly. India has to do something about it. In a way, it is similar to the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans in Tibet, we are facing a similar situation. It would be appreciated if you could help us fight the war for liberating the people of Bangladesh.'

For the first time, the Tibetans agreed to get involved in a war that was not theirs: perhaps they saw this as the ideal preparation for their ultimate goal.
But their role and actions have continued to be shrouded in mystery. Whether they served on the Siachen glacier or in counter-terrorism operations, the Tibetan troops never spoke. It is rumoured that in 1977, an AN12 aircraft was on constant alert at a SFF paratrooper base with instructions to fly the prime minister to Mauritius if her life was threatened. Whether it is true or not, very few can say!

Primary Counter Terrorist Force: By the early 1980s, the SFF's Special Group had become the primary counter-terrorist force in India. It was therefore logical that Indira Gandhi was tempted to use the '22s' for flushing the militants out of the Golden Temple complex. Unfortunately, the military intelligence had very little clue to the extent of the fortifications in and around the Akal Takht. Once Operation Bluestar was decided, the SFF were flown from their base in Uttar Pradesh and assigned the impossible task to isolate Akal Takht and secure its western flank by 1 am on June 6 while the 1 Para-Commandos were to manage a foothold in the Akal Takht itself.

The Bharat Rakshak web site recounts that the SFF and 1 Para- Commandos were immediately bogged down by the heavy fire from the Akal Takht: the Tibetans 'started with 50 men, had already 17 casualties (three dead). With midnight approaching, casualties mounting and the objectives far from being achieved, the situation was desperate.'

What was in these young Tibetans' minds at that precise moment? Were they still dreaming of a free Tibet or visualising the holy Tsuglakhang Temple in Lhasa vandalised by a so-called Liberation Army?

At 2 am, as the situation had not improved, the army had no other alternative but to call for the tanks. It was done after the clearance was obtained from Delhi. The rest is history.

During the following days, the '22s' continued to participate in the mopping up operations and it is said that one SFF officer, serving as President Zail Singh's bodyguard when he visited the complex, was wounded in the arm by a sniper. The militant was immediately killed by other commandos.

When Indira Gandhi was gunned down by her own bodyguards, Rajiv Gandhi remembered his mother's army and for a couple of months, the SFF provided security to the new prime minister. A year later, the National Security Guard was created by an act of Parliament, and which replaced the Tibetan commandos. But the training and uniform of the NSG were modeled on the SFF.

Such a strange destiny: 'Establishment 22', created to defend the Indian border (and for the Tibetans to liberate their country) was ultimately engaged in some of the most traumatic assignments in the history modern India. Not only did this have nothing to do with Tibet but these men were unable to fulfill their own ultimate life mission: Tibet's freedom.

As consolation, they perhaps believed that they were repaying their debt to India who had given refuge to their leader. Who knows!

Note: A special cell known as Establishment 22 with its headquarters at Bachiya Bagh (Kalsi) near Dehradun has been imparting terrorist training since 1986 for subversive/terrorist activities inside Pakistan.