Siachen hero joins National Conference

Jammu, April 9 (IANS) A former Indian Army officer, decorated with the highest wartime gallantry medal - Param Vir Chakra - for capturing a Siachen glacier post, Thursday joined the ruling National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir.

Captain (retired) Bana Singh, who hails from the border area of Ranbirsinghpora, 30 km west of Jammu, will head the ex-servicemen wing of the National Conference.

The heroic exploit of then Naib Subedar Bana Singh battling Pakistani forces and steep climb at Siachen glacier in 1987 have been woven into folklores in the state.

Bana Singh in June 1987 led his men in a daring and secret operation to evict Pakistani intruders from a post on Siachen Glacier area, the world's highest battlefield at an altitude of 21,000 feet.

The post he captured was virtually an impregnable glacier fortress with ice walls, 1,500 feet high, on both sides. It was renamed Bana Top in his honour. He was awarded the Param Vir Chakra for 'conspicuous bravery and leadership under most adverse conditions', said a citation by the Indian Army lauding his courage.

National Conference's provincial president Rattan Lal Gupta said he was proud to announce the joining of Bana Singh into the party. 'He is a brave soldier.'