Sagat Singh

Lieutenant General Sagat Singh, PVSM (14 July 1918 – 26 September 2001)[3][1] was a General Officer in the Indian Army notable for his participation in invasion of Goa and later in Bangladesh. He held many prestigious command and staff appointments throughout his military career.

Lieutenant General

Sagat Singh

PVSM
Born(1919-07-14)14 July 1919[1]
Kusumdesar, Churu, Rajasthan, British India
Died26 September 2001(2001-09-26) (aged 82)
New Delhi, India
Allegiance India
Service/branch Indian Army
Rank Lieutenant General
Unit3 Gorkha Rifles
Commands held
Battles/wars
Awards

Early life and education

Singh was born in the village of Kusumdesar (Moda) in Churu district of Rajasthan on 14 July 1919 to Brijlal Singh Rathore of Kusumdesar and Jadao Kanwar of Hadla. The oldest of three brothers and six sisters, he completed his schooling from Walter Nobles High School at Bikaner in 1936.

Military Career

Bikaner Ganga Risala

He joined Dungar College at Bikaner but was enrolled as a Naik in Bikaner Ganga Risala after his intermediate exam in 1938. Later, he was promoted to Jemadar (now called Naib Subedar) and commissioned as a Second lieutenant in Bikaner Ganga Risala which was sent to Sind in 1941 to deal with the Hoor rebellion. Later it was sent to Jubair in Iraq and Ahwaz in Iran during the war. He was selected for the 12th War Staff course at Quetta from May to November 1945.[4]

Lt Gen A A K Niazi signing the Pakistani Instrument of Surrender under the gaze of Lt Gen J S Aurora. Standing immediately behind (L-R) VAdm Nilakanta Krishnan, Air Mshl Hari Chand Dewan, Lt Gen Sagat Singh and Maj Gen J. F. R. Jacob.

Indian Army

On amalgamation of the State Forces in 1950, he joined Third Gorkha Rifles. He commanded the Second and Third Battalions of the Third Gorkha Rifles. In September 1961, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier and posted as the brigade commander of India's only parachute brigade, the 50th Parachute Brigade. The parachute brigade led by him played a prominent part in liberation of Goa, and his men were the first to enter Panjim on 19 December 1961.

As a Major General, he was the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 17 Mountain Division and later a communication zone. While he was the GOC of the mountain division, the Nathu La and Cho La clashes took place, where 17 Mountain Division achieved "decisive tactical advantage" and defeated the Chinese forces in these clashes.[5][6]

He also played a pivotal role in counter-insurgency operations in Mizoram. For his distinguished services, the general officer was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal . In December 1970, he took over the command of HQ IV Corps as a lieutenant general. The corps made the famous advance to Dhaka over the River Meghna during Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. He witnessed in Dhaka the signing of the surrender instrument by General Niazi.

For his leadership and command for the race to Dhaka, the Government of India honored Lt. Gen. Sagat Singh with the third highest civilian award of Padma Bhushan.[7] Lt. Gen. Sagat Singh is the only other Corps commander besides Lt. Gen. (later Gen. and COAS) T N Raina and Lt. Gen. Sartaj Singh to be so awarded in 1971.

Lt. Gen. Sagat Singh died at the Army Hospital Research & Referral, New Delhi on 26 September 2001.[8]

Personal life

He married Kamla Kumari on 27 January 1947; Kamla was daughter of the Chief Justice of J&K, Richhpal Singh. They had four sons, two of whom joined the army. Their eldest son, Ranvijay, was born in February 1949. He was commissioned into 1 Garhwal, which was later mechanised, and re-designated as 6 MECH. He retired a Colonel. The second son, Digvijay, was born in October 1950, and was commissioned into 2/3 Gorkha Rifles, the battalion his father had commanded. Unfortunately, he died an untimely death while serving with the battalion in Poonch as a Captain on 4 March 1976, when the jeep in which he was travelling met with an accident. Their third son, Vir Vijay was born in August 1954. An ill-fated scooter accident in Delhi claimed his life just eight months before that of his elder brother. The loss of two sons in the prime of their lives within a short span of eight months was a terrible loss to Sagat and his wife. Their youngest son Chandra Vijay was born in April 1956. He became a business executive.[9]

Lt Gen Sagat Singh's character was played by Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff in the 2018 Indian Hindi-language film Paltan (film) .

See also

Further reading
  • Col. C L Proudfoot, Flash of the Khukri: History of the 3rd Gorkha Rifles Regiment, Vision Books
  • Air Chief Marshal P C Lal, My Years with the IAF, Lancer International
  • Maj. Gen. Afsir Karim, The Story of India’s Airborne Troops, Lancer International
  • Brigadier Siddiq Salik, Witness to Surrender, Vikas Publications
  • Maj. Gen. Sukhwant Singh, The liberation of Bangladesh, Vikas Publications
  • Maj. Gen. Lachman Singh Lehl, Victory in Bangladesh, Natraj Publications
  • Maj Gen Randhir Sinh, A Talent for War: The Military Biography of Lt Gen Sagat Singh, Vij Books
  • Maj Gen DK Palit, War in the High Himalayas, Lancers
  • Brig RS Sodhi, Operation Windfall, Allied Publishers
  • Brig Jagdev Singh, Dismemberment of Pakistan, Lancers
  • Maj Gen VK Singh, Leadership in the Indian Army, Sage Publishers
  • Maj Gen AK Verma, The Bridge on the River Meghna, KW Publishers

References
  1. "Biography - Lieut. General Sagat Singh, PVSM".
  2. "'If there's B'desh, it's due to Lt Gen Sagat'". Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  3. "Remembering Sagat Singh (1918-2001". Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  4. "Biography - Lieut. General Sagat Singh, PVSM". Veekay's History Book. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  5. "Army commemorating war hero Lt Gen Sagat Singh's birth centenary". Outlook. 10 July 2019.
  6. Van Praagh, David (2003). Greater Game: India's Race with Destiny and China. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. p. 301. ISBN 9780773525887.
  7. "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  8. "Bullet that played with fate of 1971 war - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  9. "Biography - Lieut. General Sagat Singh, PVSM".
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