The 1st Armoured Division is an armoured division of the Indian Army, headquartered at Patiala, Punjab. It is part of II Corps of the Indian Army's Western Command.
The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the British Distinguished Service Order (DSO). The medal may be awarded posthumously.
The Jat Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, of which it is one of the longest-serving and most decorated regiments. The regiment has won 19 battle honours between 1839 and 1947, and post-independence it has won five battle honours, including 2 Victoria Cross, 2 George Cross, 8 Mahavir Chakra, 8 Kirti Chakra, 34 Shaurya Chakras, 39 Vir Chakras and 253 Sena Medals. During its 200-year service history, the regiment has participated in various actions and operations in India and abroad, including the First and the Second World Wars. Numerous battalions of the Jat Regiment, including the 14th Murray's Jat Lancers, fought in the First World War.
The Parachute Regiment is an airborne and special forces regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised in 1945 as part of the British Indian Army but was disbanded after World War II and was re-raised in 1952 as part of the Indian Army. Currently it consists of fifteen Special Forces, two Territorial Army and one Rashtriya Rifles battalions.
The Battle of Basantar, also known as the Battle of Shakargarh or Battle of Barapind, was one of the vital battles fought as part of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 in the western sector of India. The Indian troops won a hard-fought battle that secured this area in the Punjab/Jammu sector. The name Battle of Basantar actually encompasses the entire gamut of battles and skirmishes fought in the Shakargarh sector.
The Vir Chakra is an Indian wartime military bravery award presented for acts of gallantry on the battlefield, on land or in the air or at sea.
General Arunkumar Shridhar VaidyaPVSM, MVC & Bar, AVSM, ADC was an Indian Army general. He served as the 13th Chief of the Army Staff from 1983 to 1986. Following his retirement, he was assassinated by Khalistani terrorists Harjinder Singh Jinda and Sukhdev Singh Sukha in August 1986, for his role in Operation Blue Star in 1983.
The Bihar Regiment is an Indian Army infantry regiment. It traces its origins back to the British Indian Army. The Bihar Regiment was formed in 1941 by regularising the 11th (Territorial) Battalion, the 19th Hyderabad Regiment, and raising new battalions. The Bihar Regimental Centre (BRC) is located at Danapur Cantonment, Patna, the second oldest cantonment of India. INS Vikramaditya, the Indian Navy's largest ship and one of its two aircraft carriers is affiliated to the Bihar Regiment, Indian Army's highly decorated and battle-hardened unit.
Major General Kulwant Singh Pannu, MVC was an officer of the Indian Army and a recipient of the Maha Vir Chakra. He was initially commissioned as an officer in the 3 Gorkha Rifles in 1952, and joined the Parachute Regiment in 1957 after completing the paratrooper officers' course. Pannu is most famous for having led 2 Para in the famous Tangail Airdrop to capture the Poongli Bridge over the River Jamuna on 11 December 1971, during the Bangladesh Liberation War. The battalion was airdropped near Tangail and tasked to cut off the 93 Brigade of Pakistani Army which was retreating from the north to defend Dhaka and its approaches. For his conspicuous gallantry and leadership, Pannu was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra.
Lieutenant General Ranjit Singh Dyal, PVSM, MVC was an Indian Army general and an administrator. As a soldier, Ranjit Singh led the capture of the Haji Pir pass by the Indian army during the 1965 war with Pakistan. He also drew up the plans for Operation Blue Star, and served as the General-Officer-Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command. Later, he served as Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Lt. Gen. Hanut Singh Rathore, PVSM, MVC was an Indian General Officer. He was a recipient of India's second highest military decoration, the Maha Vir Chakra, for his role in the Battle of Basantar during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Lieutenant General Harbaksh Singh, VrC was an Indian senior military officer. As the commander of the Western Command, Singh commanded the Indian Army and played a key role during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. For his role in the war, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1966.
The 15th Indian Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the First World War. It served in the Mesopotamian Campaign on the Euphrates Front throughout its existence. It did not serve in the Second World War, but was reformed at Dehradun in 1964 as part of the post-independence Indian Army.
Rear Admiral Santosh Kumar Gupta, MVC, NM is a former flag officer of the Indian Navy. He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, the nation's second-highest gallantry award for his command of INAS 300 during the Indo-Pak War of 1971.
Lieutenant General Khem Karan Singh, MVC was an Indian senior military officer. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his role in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. He also received the Maha Vir Chakra for his services during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965.
Commodore Babru Bhan Yadav, MVC, also known as B.B. Yadav, was a former Indian Navy Officer. He led the 25th Missile Boat Squadron during Operation Trident in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Lieutenant General Walter Anthony Gustavo 'WAG' Pinto, PVSM was a General Officer in the Indian Army. He last served as the 8th General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Command. As a major general, he led the 54th Infantry Division on the western front in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, for which he was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal.
Lieutenant General Raj Mohan Vohra, PVSM, MVC was a General Officer of the Indian Army. He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra for his bravery and leadership in the Battle of Basantar during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Lieutenant General Ved Prakash Airy, MVC was an officer of the Indian Army, who served with the 3 Grenadiers. He is best known for his participation in the Battle of Basantar, one of the major battles of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, where he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, India's second highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy.
Brigadier Narinder Singh Sandhu MVC was an Indian Army officer who was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC), the second-highest Indian military decoration, for gallantry, leadership and devotion to duty during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. Sandhu was commissioned into the Indian Army Armoured Corps in 1953, and participated in the Battle of Asal Uttar during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, and was mentioned in dispatches. He transferred to the Dogra Regiment in 1970, and it was for his performance as commanding officer of the 10th Battalion, Dogra Regiment during an assault on a fortified Pakistan Army position that he was awarded the MVC. He retired as a brigadier and was active in veterans' and gallantry award recipients' matters until his death of colorectal cancer in 2018.
India
Indian Army 
