Inder Bal Singh Bawa

Lieutenant Colonel Inder Bal Singh Bawa, MVC was an officer of the Indian Army, who served with the 5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force). He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, India's second highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy and laying down his life for the nation, during Operation Pawan, as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka.

Lieutenant Colonel

Inder Bal Singh Bawa

MVC
Born(1947-05-25)25 May 1947
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Died13 October 1987(1987-10-13) (aged 40)
Kondavil, Sri Lanka
Allegiance India
Service/branch Indian Army
Rank Lieutenant Colonel
Unit4/5 GR
Battles/warsOperation Pawan
Awards Maha Vir Chakra[1]

Early life and education

Lieutenant Colonel Inder Bal Singh Bawa was born 25 May 1947 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. His father was Dr. HS Bawa. He did his schooling in DAV Higher Secondary School, Shimla

Military career

Lieutenant Colonel Inder Bal Singh Bawa was commissioned into 4/5 Gorkha Rifles on 11 June 1967. His unit participated in the 1971 war between India and Pakistan.

Lt Col Inder Bal Singh Bawa's battalion was tasked with clearing the Vasavilan, Urumpirai and Jaffna Fort areas, which were very well defended strongholds of the LTTE militants. Lt Col Bawa personally led his troops in the operations where LTTE militants desperately fought the advancing IPKF troops from strong fortified positions, inflicting heavy casualties on the militants.

4/5 GR was thereafter tasked to extricate 12 Sikh Light Infantry and 10 Para Commando teams at Kondavil, in the North East area. Leading his battalion through heavily fortified territory, Lt Col Bawa successfully extricated them on 13 October 1987. During this operation, Lt Col Bawa was martyred fighting gallantly in the line of his duty. For his exceptional courage, leadership and his supreme sacrifice, Lt Col Inder Bal Singh Bawa was awarded the nation’s second highest gallantry award, Maha Vir Chakra.[2][3]

References
  1. "LT COL INDER BAL SINGH BAWA MAHA VIR CHAKRA (Posthumous)". Indian Army, Govt of India official website.
  2. "Fighting for India in a foreign land". Indian Express. 11 October 2019.
  3. "Lt Col Inderbal Singh Bawa, MVC". Honourpoint.
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