Chewang Rinchen

Who is Chewang Rinchen?

Colonel Chewang Rinchen MVC, SM was an officer in the Indian Army from the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.

Rinchen joined the Nubra Guard in 1948, and served in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 alongside Indian Army units. Fighting in the Nubra Valley, he was promoted through the ranks, and was awarded a Mahavir Chakra for bravery.

Rinchen also served in the 1962 India-China War, where he was awarded a Sena Medal. In the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Rinchen, now a Major in the Ladakh Scouts led the capture of the Chalunka complex of the Pakistani Army and the strategic outpost of Turtuk. For these actions, he was awarded a bar to his MVC, being one of only six Indian soldiers so honoured.

Rinchen retired as a full Colonel in 1984. He was appointed honorary Colonel of the Ladakh Scouts. The Indian Army has named an army shopping complex after him in Leh.