Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE) observed 103rd Anniversary of Corps of Signals. During the last hundred years the Corps has actively contributed to every operation in India by providing communication support.
The Corps has also served in far flung places such as Korea, Indo-China, Gaza and Sri lanka. On the eve of the Raising Day, the College had organised a lecture on the capture of Hajipir Pass during 1965 operations. Brigadier Shamsher Singh, a Signals Officer then a second lieutenant, a war veteran of this operation, shared his personal experiences.
A captive audience from the College attended this lecture in which Singh gave an extremely personalized account of the events that led to the capture of Hajipir Pass in August1965. Clippings of a film shot in 1965 by the Films Division and personal photographs of the event supplemented the presentation that kept the audience enthralled. Apart from the dare devil attack by the Indian Army led by personal example of junior officers like Major RS Dayal what also emerged were the challenges of providing communication in combat zones in mountains.
The constraints of communication equipment in 1965 which often had to be compensated for by sheer innovation and initiative of personnel from Signals were also elucidated. While summing up the talk lt Gen Rajesh Pant Commandant of MCTE thanked the speaker and emphasised on the necessity to understand the lessons from these operations to avoid mistakes in future.
Traditionally, a media provider during operations and peace for the Indian Army, the Corps apart from its conventional role of providing communication channels, is involved in electronic warfare, interception, cyber security, and information\\ warfare and spectrum management.
The armed forces can boast of a robust pan-Indian Army dedicated Communication Network down to the troops at forward locations. Signallers serving with Electronic Warfare and Signal Intelligence units have made yeoman contribution in the intelligence arena as well.
A number of successful operations in hostile environment were launched after being triggered by electronic intercepts.