Baba Harbhajan Singh, The story of a Ghost Soldier (Untold Tales)

About 60 km from Nathula, Sikkim lies a shrine for a deceased soldier of The Indian Army. 
Late Sepoy Harbhajan Singh hailed from a village in Punjab. He was recruited into the Indian Army as a sepoy in 1956. In 1965 he was enrolled into 23 Punjab Regiment and was posted to Nathula the borders of India and China.

 The story goes to the days of post Indo-China war, when this soldier while escorting a crowd of mules to a remote outpost was fatally drowned in a glacier. A manhunt was sent to find him. His body was recovered after three days and was cremated with full military honours. 

The strangeness of this story is that, it was the ghost of this soldier which led the search party to the place where his body was found. It is said that he had appeared in his friend's dream  and asked him to build and maintain a shrine for him at the place where he was cremated.

Hence this shrine at the valley of Kupkup was built. This shrine holds the belongings of Baba Harbhajan Singh. A camp bed is laid out every night for him.  His boots are kept polished with a set of neatly pressed uniform for him everyday. But it is found that the sheets are crumpled by the next morning and the shoes lay dirty by evening.  

This deceased soldier draws a month salary which is sent to his mother in  the village and also avails his annual leave till date. His name is still listed on the payroll of the Indian Army and he has been promoted to Honorary Major over the years. 

Every year on 14th September, a jeep departs with his personal belongings to the nearest railway station, New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, where it is then sent by train to his village in Punjab escorted by a soldier. As per train rule the reserved seat is never left vacant, but for Baba reservation is done to travel to his home town every year with soldiers to drop and bring him back from his home town during his annual leave. The soldiers in this region believe that he warns them of any mishaps three days in advance.

If one wonders that if it is only the Indian Army who believes in this Strange and Legendary Ghost Sepoy.…?
Its ...a ...NO..!
Even the Chinese Army claim to have seen him patrolling at the borders during the nights and set a chair for him during the Flag Meet between the two Nations.

The Army Believes in Him… Do You..?

Believe It Or Not…!!