In the bitter cold of November 18, 1962, at an altitude of 5,000 m in Ladakh, just 120 men of the Charlie Company, 13 Kumaon Regiment, led by Major Shaitan Singh Bhati, mounted one of modern history’s most heroic last stands. They faced a massive Chinese force reports cite anywhere from 3,000 to over 5,000 attackers and repelled wave after wave until nearly all were lost.

When the battlefield was later revisited, search teams found frozen bodies clutching their weapons a fierce testament to their steadfastness “to the last man, last bullet.” Though vastly outnumbered and outgunned, their resistance prevented a deeper Chinese incursion and helped avert the fall of the strategically vital Chushul airstrip.

Their extraordinary sacrifice came to renewed attention with Farhan Akhtar’s upcoming film 120 Bahadur, where he portrays Major Shaitan Singh and brings this largely forgotten legacy back into public memory through gripping cinematic storytelling.