Hoshiar Singh

Last updated

Brigadier
Hoshiar Singh
PVC
Hoshiar Singh PVC.jpg
Birth name Hoshiar Singh Dahiya
Born(1936-05-05)5 May 1936 [1]
Sisana, [2] Sonipat, British India
(now in Haryana, India)
Died 6 December 1998(1998-12-06) (aged 61)
Allegiance Flag of India.svg Republic of India
Service/branch Flag of Indian Army.svg Indian Army
Years of service 1963-1996
Rank Brigadier
Unit 3 GRENADIERS
Battles/wars Indo-Pakistan war of 1965
Indo-Pakistani war of 1971
Battle of Basantar
Awards Param-Vir-Chakra-ribbon.svg Param Vir Chakra

Colonel Hoshiar Singh Dahiya, PVC (5 May 1937 – 6 December 1998) an officer of the Indian Army who was awarded India's highest military honor, the Param Vir Chakra during Indo-Pakistani war of 1971. He served in the Indian Army with dedication, retiring as a Brigadier.

Colonel is a senior military officer rank below the brigadier and general officer ranks. However, in some small military forces, such as those of Monaco or the Vatican, colonel is the highest rank. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.

Param Vir Chakra Indias highest military decoration

The Param Veer Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime. The PVC is equivalent to the Medal of Honor in the United States and the Victoria Cross in the United Kingdom. Only 21 soldiers have received this award to date.

Contents

Background

He was born in Sisana village, Sonipat district, Haryana to Choudhary Hira Singh. After his schooling and one year's study at the Jat College, Rohtak, he joined the Army. [3] He was commissioned in The Grenadiers Regiment of the Indian Army on 30 June 1963. [3]

Sonipat Municipal Corporation in North India, India

Sonipat, anciently named Swarnprastha, is a city and a Municipal Corporation in Haryana state of India. It comes under the National Capital Region and is around 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Delhi. It is also around 214 km(128 miles) southwest of Chandigarh, the state capital. The Yamuna River runs along the eastern boundary.

Haryana State in northern India

Haryana is one of the 29 states in India, located in northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 November 1966 on linguistic as well as on cultural basis. It is ranked 22nd in terms of area with less than 1.4% of India's land area. Chandigarh is the state capital, Faridabad in National Capital Region is the most populous city of the state and Gurugram is a leading financial hub of NCR with major Fortune 500 companies located in it. Haryana has 6 administrative divisions, 22 districts, 72 sub-divisions, 93 revenue tehsils, 50 sub-tehsils, 140 community development blocks, 154 cities and towns, 6,848 villages and 6222 villages panchayats.

Rohtak Municipal Corporation in Haryana, India

Rohtak is a city and the administrative headquarters of the Rohtak district in the Indian state of Haryana. It lies 70 kilometres (43 mi) north west of New Delhi and 250 kilometres (160 mi) south of the state capital Chandigarh on NH 9(old NH 10). Rohtak forms a part of the National Capital Region (NCR), so it can obtain cheap loans for infrastructure development from the NCR Planning Board.

His first posting was in NEFA.[ citation needed ] In the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war, he saw some action in the Rajasthan sector.[ citation needed ]

The North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) was one of the political divisions in British India and later the Republic of India until 20 January 1972, when it became the Union Territory of Arunachal Pradesh. Its administrative headquarters was Shillong. It received the status of State on 20 February 1987.

Honoured with Param Vir Chakra

During the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971, the 3rd Grenadiers was given the task of establishing a bridgehead across the Basantar River in the Shakargarh Sector from 15–17 December 1971. The river was covered with deep minefields on both sides and protected by well-fortified defence by the Pakistani army. Major Hoshiar Singh, commander 'C' Company, was ordered to capture the Pakistani locality of Jarpal. The Pakistani Army reacted and put in sharp counterattacks. Major Hoshiar Singh went from trench to trench, motivating his command and encouraging his men to stand fast and fight as a result his company repulsed all the attacks inflicting heavy casualties on the Pakistani army. Though seriously wounded, Major Hoshiar Singh refused to be evacuated till ceasefire. Throughout this operation, Major Hoshiar Singh displayed most conspicuous gallantry, indomitable fighting spirit and leadership in the highest traditions of the Army. He was awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his bravery and leadership. He was also Mentioned-in-Despatches. [3]

Shakargarh City in Punjab, Pakistan

Shakargarh, the capital of Shakargarh Tehsil, is a city in the north-east of Narowal District, Punjab, Pakistan. It borders Jammu to the north and Sialkot to the west The city is located at 32°16'0N 75°10'0E and is situated at the west bank of the Ravi River. The tehsil is administratively subdivided into 35 Union Councils, three of which form the tehsil capital Shakargarh.

Pakistan federal parliamentary constitutional republic in South Asia

Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the world’s sixth-most populous country with a population exceeding 212,742,631 people. In area, it is the 33rd-largest country, spanning 881,913 square kilometres. Pakistan has a 1,046-kilometre (650-mile) coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest, and China in the far northeast. It is separated narrowly from Tajikistan by Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor in the northwest, and also shares a maritime border with Oman.

Param Vir Chakra Citation

The Param Vir Chakra citation on the Official Indian Army Website reads as follows:

Indian Army land based branch of the Indian Armed Forces

The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and it is commanded by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four-star general. Two officers have been conferred with the rank of field marshal, a five-star rank, which is a ceremonial position of great honour. The Indian Army originated from the armies of the East India Company, which eventually became the British Indian Army, and the armies of the princely states, which finally became the national army after independence. The units and regiments of the Indian Army have diverse histories and have participated in a number of battles and campaigns across the world, earning a large number of battle and theatre honours before and after Independence.

CITATION

MAJOR HOSHIAR SINGH

3 GRENADIERS (IC-14608)

On 15 December 1971 a battalion of the Grenadiers was given the task of establishing a bridgehead across the Basantar river in the Shakargarh Sector. Major Hoshiar Singh was commanding the left forward company and he was ordered to capture the enemy locality of Jarpal. This was a well-fortified position and was held in strength by the enemy. During the assault, his company came under intense shelling and effective crossfire from enemy medium machine guns. Undeterred, he led the charge and captured the objective after a fierce hand-to hand fight. The enemy reacted and put in three counter attacks on 16 December 1971, two of them supported by armour, Major Hoshiar Singh unmindful of the heavy shelling and tank fire went from trench to trench, motivating his command and encouraging his men to stand fast and fight. Inspired by his courage and dauntless leadership, his company repulsed all the attacks inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy. Again, on 17 December 1971 the enemy made another attack with a battalion supported by heavy artillery fire. Though seriously wounded by enemy shelling, Major Hoshiar Singh again went from trench to trench moving about in the open with utter disregard to his personal safety when an enemy shell landed near the medium machine gun post injuring the crew and rendering it inoperative. Major Hoshiar Singh, realizing the importance of machine-gun fire, immediately rushed to the machine-gun pit and though seriously wounded himself, manned the gun inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy. The attack was successfully repulsed and the enemy retreated leaving behind 85 dead including their Commanding Officer and three other officers. Though seriously wounded, Major Hoshiar Singh refused to be evacuated till the ceasefire.

Throughout this operation, Major Hoshiar Singh displayed most conspicuous gallantry, indomitable fighting spirit and leadership in the highest traditions of the Army. [3]

Mohanlal reprised Major Hoshiar Singh's character as Major Sahadevan in the 2017 Malayalam film, 1971: Beyond Borders. [4]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Param Vir Chakra winners since 1950". The Times of India . 25 January 2008. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "Bravery award winners honoured". The Tribune (Chandigarh) . 18 May 2010. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 The Param Vir Chakra Winners (PVC), Official Website of the Indian Army, retrieved 28 August 2014 "Profile" and "Citation" tabs.
  4. ↑ "1971: Beyond Borders".
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