It was a terrible setback to relief column, as it had to wait at the burnt bridge while a ford was being prepared. The mechanical column encountered a roadblock on November 21 morning when it started to join the main body just round the first bend. As the vehicles parked, noses touching hinds, and the infantry got down to investigate, a hail of bullets from all sides greeted them. Brave attempts by the infantry to capture a nearby feature failed at a heavy cost. The armoured cars could cover only the nearest vehicles, due to road bends blocking the field of fire. The width of road did not permit them to move ahead. Then they were also attacked. One of them with punctured tires backed out with difficulty and rushed back to Uri with casualties and information. After decimating the infantry, the Pakistanis stepped in and ransacked the vehicles and set them afire. The remaining armoured cars, fearing attack in the night, also left for Uri carrying casualties before the nightfall. The ambush cost the Indians 16 killed, 14 wounded and 24 vehicles destroyed or damaged. The Pakistanis that night also set ablaze a bridge at milestone 5 from Uri.

When Brig Sen heard the news of ambush, he ordered 1 Kumaon (Para) less one company under Lt-Col Pritam Singh to cross over and join the Poonch garrison and himself rushed back with the rest of the troops at 11-00 p.m. on November 21. Proceeding slowly, they arrived at Haji Pir Pass and bivouacked for the remainder of the night there. Resuming the journey, the convoy arrived at the scene of disaster at 10-00 a.m. next morning where they met a relief column from Srinagar reaching at the same time. The ambush news reached Srinagar at 10-00 p.m. on November 21, when the HQ J&K Division ordered the despatch of a relief force.

4 Kumaon were chosen for this task and they left in vehicles at 3-30 a.m. for Uri and thence to Poonch road in order to establish piquets and help the snipers in making a diversion at milestone 5. The Dogra Pioneer platoon commenced making a diversion straight-away, but it was too big a task and the next day the Engineers detachment at Uri was called in. Even then the progress was slow and it was not complete till 2-00 p.m. on November 25, when the lighter vehicles crossed easily, but the heavier ones had to be winched across. By 9 p.m. the whole convoy had crossed over. Thirteen vehicles were repaired and made functional from the destroyed lot, three cannibalized and eight thrown away as total loss.

The Pakistanis sniped when the vehicles were crossing for Uri and, as a consequence, petrol tank of a vehicle was pierced. The column reached Uri on November 26 at 2-30 a.m. But here, too, the versions of Brig Harbakhsh Singh and Brig L.P. Sen differed.

At the same time that the Poonch column was encountering these mishaps, 1 Sikh piquet, an isolated one across Jhelum, came in for an attack by 900 Pakistanis on the night of November 22-23. There was a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) with 20 men under him guarding the piquet, which was very vital for the defence of Uri. The main bridge having been destroyed, a wooden plank linked the piquet with the rest of the force. The distance between the piquet and the main body being of two hours. The Pak attack started at 11-00 p.m. with MMG and mortar fire. The first attack was repulsed and the second was launched within an hour from three directions to overwhelm the piquet, which was also held up. The field guns at Uri lent a helping hand by firing from open sights in the fading moonlight and the battalion commander was in a dilemma, as any reinforcements sent would weaken the Uri defence. Quarter Master Joginder Singh and his administrative platoon of cooks and sweepers volunteered and, crossing Jhelum, rushed to the aid of their beleaguered colleagues and saved them.

(To be Continued)