There Is No Peace Time For Special Forces

Interview/Col Varun Chhabra, commanding offi cer, 10 Para (SF)

- Col Varun Chhabra

Varun Chhabra was just nine when his father was killed in action on October 14, 1989. A recipient of the Sena Medal, Lt Col Arun Kumar Chhabra was second in-command of 10 Para (SF), and was about to take over as its commanding officer, when he sacrificed his life in the Army’s Operation Pawan against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka. His team had surrounded an LTTE stronghold, killing two militants, when he got hit in retaliatory fire. Despite being wounded, he gunned down the LTTE commander, while his men took out the stronghold.

The nine-year-old who lost his father grew to become a gentleman soldier. As commanding officer of 10 Para (SF), Colonel Varun Chhabra has kept his vow to fulfill his father’s dream. Excerpts from an interview:

What makes a special forces commando different from a regular soldier?

Out of a million-plus-strong Indian Army, the SF comprises a few hundred selected men. These men undergo a rigorous three month probation, which replicates actual battlefield conditions that he would face as a special forces operative.

He is checked on the physical aspects of training, to test his limit of taking stress. His performance is tested in 30-, 40- and 60-mile runs [carrying] 30kg loads. He is checked for high IQ…. He is made to survive on the bare minimum, and deprived of all comforts of living. He has to deliver in all aspects and excel in all skills.