- Sagat Singh
Sagat Singh (
Hindi : सागत सिंघ) (14th July 1918- September 26 2001) was a General in theIndian army whose participation in liberation ofGoa and later in Bangladesh made him a legendary figure. He held most of the prestigious command and staff appointments in the course of his illustrious career.He was born at a small Village - Moda in
Churu district ofRajasthan in 1918. He was commissioned in the Jaipur State Forces. 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. The Parachute Brigade led by him played a prominent part in liberation of Goa and his men were the first to enterPanjim on Dec 19th, 1961.As a Major General he commanded a Mountain Division and later a Communication Zone where he played a pivotal role in taking counter insurgency operations in
Mizoram . For his distinguished services he was awarded the PVSM . In December 1970 he took over the command of HQ 4 Corps as a Lieutenant General.The Corps made the famous advance to Dacca over the RiverMeghna duringBangladesh Liberation War in 1971 . He witnessed inDacca the signing of the surrender instrument byGeneral Niazi .For his leadership and command for the race to Dacca the
Government of India honored Sagat Singh through an award ofPadma Bhushan , Sagat Singh being the only other corps commander besides T N Raina and Sartaj Singh to be so awarded in 1971.Sagat Singh retired from the army on 30th November 1976. He had a personal tragedy in 1976. His son Captain Digvijay Singh died in a jeep accident in
Poonch in May 1976.He died at Army Hospital Research & Referral,
New Delhi onSeptember 26 ,2001 .See also
*
Meghna Heli Bridge 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
*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 PublicationsExternal links
* [http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/MONITOR/ISSUE4-3/jagan.html Remembering Sagat Singh (1918-2001)] by "P.V.S.Jagan Mohan" - www.bharat-rakshak.com
* [http://pib.nic.in/archieve/lreleng/lyr2001/roct2001/02102001/r021020013.html Memorial Service for General Sagat Singh] - Press Information Bureau
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