Kushal Chand

Lieutenant Colonel Kushal Chand, MVC, (26 September 1919 - 9 April 1957; also spelled Khushal Chand) was an officer of the Indian Army. He is known for his significant role in stalling the progress of Pakistani forces into Ladakh, during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947-48. For his role in this war, Thakur Kushal Chand is regarded among the 'Saviours of Ladakh', alongside Thakur Prithi Chand, Bhim Chand, and Chewang Rinchen.

Personal life
Kushal Chand was born into the house of Kolong, the ruling family of the mountainous tract of Lahaul, which then lay in the Kangra district of the Punjab Province, British India. His place of birth was the Gemoor Khar ('Khar' meaning 'palace') in Lahaul. He was the elder son of Thakur Mangal Chand (1886 -1969). Thakur Mangal Chand was the younger brother of Rai Bahadur Thakur Amar Chand, the Wazir of Lahaul. Upon the death of Thakur Amar Chand in 1921, the waziri passed to Mangal Chand, since Amar Chand's sons were still minors. However, even upon their attaining maturity, Mangal Chand continued as the Wazir of Lahaul, until the dissolution of the post following the Independence of India.

Kushal Chand's younger brother was Nihal Chand, a politician and the husband of Lata Thakur, one-time MLA from the Lahaul and Spiti assembly constituency.

Kushal Chand was survived by two sons and a daughter. One of them is the retired senior IAS officer, Ashok Thakur.

Actions in Ladakh, 1948
Kushal Chand was a younger cousin to Thakur Prithi Chand, the third son of Thakur Amar Chand. Bhim Chand was a maternal uncle to both Prithi Chand and Kushal Chand. All three belonged to the 2nd Battalion of the Dogra Regiment. Kushal Chand was commissioned into this unit on September 15, 1941. In the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947–48, all three made their way together to Ladakh, as members of a small volunteer group of Lahauli Buddhists from 2 Dogra, so to defend Ladakh from Pakistani invaders. All three fought and led with distinction, and received high decorations individually. Kushal Chand was second-in-command of this group, which was led by Thakur Prithi Chand. For his actions in Ladakh, Kushal Chand was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, the second-highest gallantry award of India.

Maha Vir Chakra award
The Maha Vir Chakra citation for Major Kushal Chand, dated 26 January 1950, reads as the following:

Afterwards
In 1953, upon his promotion to the rank of Lt. Col., Kushal Chand was given the command 9th Dogra Infantry Battalion, which he held for three years. Thereafter he was deputed to serve on the UN mission in Indochina, as an Indian member of the International Armistice Commission for Indochina.

Death
On 9 April 1957, a light airplane of the Laos Air Service carrying Kushal Chand and two others crashed in Laos, killing all on board.

Memorials

 * Kushal Chand's son Ashok Thakur, IAS, got a 'chorten' (Buddhist reliquary) constructed at the Khaltse bridge as a memorial to his father. The Khalatse bridge had been the site of one of major battles fought by Kushal Chand in Ladakh. The chorten was unveiled by the 14th Dalai Lama on his visit to Ladakh in 2012.
 * In April 2019, Kushal Chand's uniform, original MVC medal, service and miniature medals were presented by his family members to Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh, then GOC-in-C Northern Command, so as to be preserved at the Indian Army's Hall of Fame in Leh, Ladakh.