Independence Day: The man who set up the joint check post at Attari-Wagah border in 1947

Visitors can still see a plaque at the bottom of the flagstaff at the check post which bears the words: “Foundation stone of this flag staff was laid by Brig Mohinder Singh Chopra on 11th Oct 1947”.

Major General Mohinder Singh Chopra

Listen to this article

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

On August 15, Independence Day, a huge crowd will throng the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post (JCP) on the Indo-Pak border near Amritsar. Most of them will be unaware that for two months after the Partition there was no designated border between the two countries on this road connecting Amritsar and Lahore. It was Brigadier (later Major General) Mohinder Singh Chopra – who took over the 123 Infantry Brigade at Amritsar in October 1947 – who put up a sentry post at the border which later turned into a JCP.

Having organised a referendum at Sylhet in Assam before taking up his present assignment, Brig Chopra was aware of the enormity of the task at hand, given the precarious situation of sectarian clashes when he took over the brigade in Amritsar.

In his Order of the Day issued on October 11, 1947, after assuming command of the brigade, Brig Chopra emphasised the need for peace in Amritsar district without delay. “Be an enthusiast, and go forward with the task of restoring peace and tranquility and foster brotherly relations, remember the only way to ensure safe evacuation of your kith and kin is to allow Muslim convoys to go untouched…,” he wrote in the order to the rank and file of the brigade.

Brig Mohinder Singh Chopra escorting the then Punjab governor C M Trivedi at the newly established joint check post at Attari-Wagah. (Photo Karanjit Singh Chopra)

In the initial days, there was no thick white line in the middle of the Grand Trunk Road dividing the border of India and Pakistan. A barrier with two drums on either side was put up along with flagstaffs. Emotional scenes have been recounted by refugees from India and Pakistan upon reaching this visibly marked border as they fell down and kissed the land of their respective countries, relieved at having made it across the border alive.

A discerning visitor can still see a plaque at the bottom of the flagstaff on the JCP which bears the words: “Foundation stone of this flag staff was laid by Brig Mohinder Singh Chopra on 11th Oct 1947”.

As per details provided by his grandson Karanjit Singh Chopra, Major General Chopra was from one of the first batches of King’s Commissioned Indian Officers of the Indian Army, having graduated from the Royal Military College at Sandhurst in England in 1928. Born in 1907 in Amritsar, he did his schooling at the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College at Dehra Dun before being selected for Sandhurst.

After first attachment with the 1st Royal Fusiliers in Ambala and Kasauli, he was transferred to the 1st Rajputs. In 1932, he became the first Indian officer to join the famous 6th Royal Battalion of the 13th Frontier Force Rifles at Hanguin. In 1941, he graduated from the Staff College at Quetta and served with the Iraq-Persia (Paiforce) and in the Burma Theatre during the Second World War.

Chopra was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1946 and took over as the first Indian Commanding Officer of the 1 Assam in Shillong. He was appointed Commander of SYLFORCE in July 1947 to maintain law and order during the conduct of the referendum in Sylhet on whether the district in Assam would join India or Pakistan.

Plaque on the flagstaff at the Joint Check Post at Attari.

After the Partition, he took over the command of the 123 Infantry Brigade in Amritsar in October 1947 and was entrusted with ensuring the safety of the refugees travelling in and out of Amritsar district.