Gurkha 1 Forty Bandits 0
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munroman

Original Poster:

1,908 posts

214 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
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http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action...

Cahones of steel!

Lone Nepali Gorkha who subdued 40 train robbers

MANOJ ADHIKARI/SANTOSH POKHAREL

POKHARA, Jan 13: Gorkha soldiers have long been known the world over for their valor and these khukuri-wielding warriors winning the British many a battle have become folklore.

A retired Indian Gorkha soldier recently revisited those glory days when he thwarted 40 robbers, killing three of them and injuring eight others, with his khukuri during a train journey. He is in line to receive three gallantry awards from the Indian government.



Slave girl Morgiana in the Arabian Nights used her cunning to finish off Ali Baba´s 40 thieves, but Bishnu Shrestha of Baidam, Pokhara-6 did not have time to plot against the 40 train robbers. He, however, made good use of his khukuri to save the chastity of a girl and hundreds of thousands in loot.

Shrestha, who was in the Maurya Express to Gorakhpur from Ranchi on September 2 while returning home following voluntary retirement from the Indian army--saved the girl who was going to be raped by the robbers in front of her hapless parents, and in doing so won plaudits from everybody.

The Indian government is to decorate Shrestha with its Sourya Chakra, Bravery Award and Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Medal and the 35-year-old is leaving for India Saturday to receive the first of the awards on the occasion of India´s Republic Day on January 26.

“The formal announcement of the awards will be made on Republic Day and on Independence Day on August 15,” said Shrestha, whose father Gopal Babu also retired from the same 7/8 Platoon of the Gorkha Regiment around 29 years ago.

His regiment has already given him a cash award of Indian rupees 50,000, and decided to terminate his voluntary retirement. He will get the customary promotion after receiving the medals. The Indian government will also announce a cash bounty for him and special discounts on international air tickets and domestic train tickets.

The band of about 40 robbers, some of whom were travelling as passengers, stopped the train in the Chittaranjan jungles in West Bengal around midnight. Shrestha-- who had boarded the train at Ranchi in Jharkhand, the place of his posting--was in seat no. 47 in coach AC3.

“They started snatching jewelry, cell phones, cash, laptops and other belongings from the passengers,” Shrestha recalled. The soldier had somehow remained a silent spectator amidst the melee, but not for long. He had had enough when the robbers stripped an 18-year-old girl sitting next to him and tried to rape her right in front of her parents. He then took out his khukuri and took on the robbers.

“The girl cried for help, saying ´You are a soldier, please save a sister´,” Shrestha recalled. “I prevented her from being raped, thinking of her as my own sister,” he added. He took one of the robbers under control and then started to attack the others. He said the rest of the robbers fled after he killed three of them with his khukuri and injured eight others.

During the scuffle he received serious blade injury to his left hand while the girl also had a minor cut on her neck. “They had carried out their robbery with swords, blades and pistols. The pistols may have been fake as they didn´t open fire,” he surmised.

The train resumed its journey after some 20 minutes and a horde of media persons and police were present when it reached Chittaranja station. Police arrested the eight injured dacoits and recovered around 400,000 Indian rupees in cash, 40 gold necklaces, 200 cell phones, 40 laptops and other items that the fleeing robbers dropped in the train.

Police escorted Shrestha to the Railways Hospital after the rescued girl told them about his heroic deed. Mainstream Indian media carried the story. The parents of the girl, who was going for her MBBS studies, also announced a cash award of Indian rupees 300,000 for him but he has not met them since.

“Even the veins and arteries in my left hand were slit but the injury has now healed after two months of neurological treatment at the Command Hospital in Kolkata,” he said showing the scar. “Fighting the enemy in battle is my duty as a soldier; taking on the dacoits in the train was my duty as a human being,” said the Indian army nayak, who has been given two guards during his month-long holidays in Nepal.

“I am proud to be able to prove that a Gorkha soldier with a khukuri is really a handful. I would have been a meek spectator had I not carried that khukuri,” he said.

He still finds it hard to believe that he took on 40 armed robbers alone. “They may have feared that more of my army friends were traveling with me and fled after fighting me for aound 20 minutes,” he explained.

Legend!

NoNeed

15,137 posts

230 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
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I agree a true Legend.

Can't wait for the film.

EDLT

15,421 posts

236 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
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Its already been made


RYH64E

7,960 posts

274 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
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In the UK the bandits would end up with some kind of community service and he would be charged with murder.

IanMorewood

4,309 posts

278 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
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Guess the confined space meant they couldn’t all rush him at once otherwise it would have been a very different story, brave guy.

boredofmyoldname

22,655 posts

229 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
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munroman said:
“Fighting the enemy in battle is my duty as a soldier; taking on the dacoits in the train was my duty as a human being,” said the Indian army nayak.
Well done that man, does make you wonder what charges would have been brought against him if that had happened on the 9:15 Euston to Liverpool though.

NoNeed

15,137 posts

230 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
quotequote all
EDLT said:
Its already been made
Not with 40 bandits and just a sword, may also have a fit bird getting stripped.biggrin

They could call it passenger 47

Edited by NoNeed on Thursday 3rd February 15:20

RemainAllHoof

80,124 posts

312 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
quotequote all
RYH64E said:
In the UK the bandits would end up with some kind of community service and he would be charged with murder.
This country really sucks when I thought this along with about 50 other PHers (I expect).

Shaw Tarse

31,900 posts

233 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
quotequote all
RemainAllHoof said:
RYH64E said:
In the UK the bandits would end up with some kind of community service and he would be charged with murder.
This country really sucks when I thought this along with about 50 other PHers (I expect).
I was one of those 50.

Asterix

24,438 posts

258 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
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As was I.

pilchardthecat

7,483 posts

209 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
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Awesome.

Marf

22,907 posts

271 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
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EDLT said:
Its already been made

Beaten to it!

But I bet the Ghurka's action scenes didnt have to be sped up to make him look fly!

Tiggsy

10,261 posts

282 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
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Shaw Tarse said:
I was one of those 50.
I was the rest, who know some whiner would post that.

GTIR

24,741 posts

296 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
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This reminds me of PHer AB's thread when he chased and "confronted" some travellers when they ran off after a road accident .Well, I say confronted but he drove past them and took a picture. hehe

smile

odyssey2200

18,650 posts

239 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
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52.

OzzyR1

6,377 posts

262 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
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"His regiment has already given him a cash award of Indian rupees 50,000, and decided to terminate his voluntary retirement. He will get the customary promotion after receiving the medals."


Unless I'm reading this incorrectly, not exactly a big thank-you I'd have thought?

Marf

22,907 posts

271 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
quotequote all
OzzyR1 said:
"His regiment has already given him a cash award of Indian rupees 50,000, and decided to terminate his voluntary retirement. He will get the customary promotion after receiving the medals."


Unless I'm reading this incorectly, not exactly a big thank-you I'd have thought?
2009 http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Average-In...

Average monthly salary 3000 rupees.

So he's been given a years salary and a promotion. Seems fair.

DonkeyApple

70,411 posts

199 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
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boredofmyoldname said:
Well done that man, does make you wonder what charges would have been brought against him if that had happened on the 9:15 Euston to Liverpool though.
Only one way to find out.

DonkeyApple

70,411 posts

199 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
quotequote all
OzzyR1 said:
"His regiment has already given him a cash award of Indian rupees 50,000, and decided to terminate his voluntary retirement. He will get the customary promotion after receiving the medals."


Unless I'm reading this incorrectly, not exactly a big thank-you I'd have thought?
As in terminate his voloutary retirement, in otherwords, he retired volountarily and the army have torn this up and let him back in with a cash bonus and a promotion.

Ayahuasca

27,584 posts

309 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
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How many ways to spell Gurkha?