Hoshiar Singh (Brigadier)

Last updated

Brigadier

Hoshiar Singh
BornVillage Sankhol, Bahadurgarh, Haryana
Died Sela Pass
AllegianceFlag of India.svg  India
RankBrigadier
Battles/wars1962 Sino-Indian War

Brigadier Hoshiar Singh OBE, Croix de Guerre,[ citation needed ] IOM, VSM was the commander of the Indian 62 Brigade stationed at Sela Pass. Brigadier Singh was killed in action, along with a few Indian troops during the 1962 Sino-Indian War. Brigadier Hoshiar Singh was commended for his bravery in the war.

Contents

Early life and career

He was born in a Jat family in Village Sankhol, Bahadurgarh, Haryana. The Bahadurgarh City Park metro station has been renamed in his honour to Brigadier Hoshiyar Singh metro station, as announced by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, in Sept 2018. He was promoted colonel on 5 July 1962. [1]

Details of the battle

During the Sino-Indian War in 1962, Hoshiar Singh was in charge of the defence of Sela Pass of this region with a brigade of Indian Army consisting of soldiers from battalions of various regiments, including 1 SIKH, 2 Sikh LI, 4 Sikh LI and also soldiers from Garhwal Rifles. [2]

Death

Singh was killed in action fighting for the Indian Army in the NEFA region in 1962 when his party was ambushed by invading Chinese soldiers while commanding the defence of the Sela Pass. [2]

By the afternoon of 23 November 1962 ( 2 days after ceasefire) Chinese troops belonging to No.2 Company of 154 Regiment (419 Unit) killed brigade commander, three officers and twenty nine other ranks while the rest were wounded or captured at Phudung near Phitang Bridge, southwest of Bomdilla. [3]

Singh's body was preserved in Phudung by the local Monpas. Much later, Indian army officers returned to Phudung and cremated the courageous soldier with his eldest son performing the last rites. [3]

The then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Punjab Chief Minister Pratap Kairon along with senior army officers came to village Sankhol to console his family. On the first death anniversary, Indira Gandhi also came to meet his family in the village. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4th Infantry Division (India)</span> Infantry division of the Indian Army

The 4th Indian Infantry Division, also known as the Red Eagle Division, is an infantry division of the Indian Army. This division of the British Indian Army was formed in Egypt in 1939 during the Second World War. During the Second World War, it took part in campaigns in East Africa, Syria, North Africa and Italy. Post independence, the division is part of the I Corps and headquartered at Prayagraj.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jammu and Kashmir Rifles</span> Indian Army regiment

The Jammu and Kashmir Rifles is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. Its origins lay in the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. After the accession of the state to the Indian Union in October 1947, the State Forces came under the command of the Indian Army. They remained in the original form until 1956 when Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly effectively ratified the state's accession to India. Then the State Forces became the Jammu and Kashmir Regiment of the Indian Army. In 1963, the designation was changed to Jammu and Kashmir Rifles. After the conversion, the Ladakh Scouts came under the aegis of the Regiment, where it remained until raised as a separate Regiment in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kumaon Regiment</span> Military unit

The Kumaon Regiment is one of the oldest infantry regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment traces its origins to the 18th century and has fought in every major campaign of the British Indian Army and the Indian Army, including the two world wars, and is one of the highest decorated regiments of the Indian Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punjab Regiment (India)</span> Military unit

The Punjab Regiment is the second oldest regiment still in service in the Indian Army, and is the most senior regional infantry regiment. It was formed from the 2nd Punjab Regiment of the British Indian Army in 1947 and has taken part in various battles and wars since, winning numerous honours for the same.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shabeg Singh</span> Sikh dissident Indian Army officer (1925–1984)

Shabeg Singh, PVSM, AVSM, was a Major General who had previously served in the Indian Army but later joined the revolution movement of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. J. Singh</span>

General Joginder Jaswant Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC is an Indian politician and former Army Chief. He was the 21st Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army. He was appointed on 27 November 2004, and took over the role when his predecessor, General N C Vij, retired on 31 January 2005. He was succeeded by General Deepak Kapoor. He served as the COAS from 31 January 2005, to 30 September 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joginder Singh (soldier)</span> Indian soldier, recipient of Param Vir Chakra, born 1921

Subedar Joginder Singh Sahnan, PVC, was an Indian soldier who posthumously received India's highest military award, the Param Vir Chakra. Singh joined the British Indian Army in 1936 and served in the 1st battalion of the Sikh Regiment. During the 1962 Sino-Indian War, he was commanding a platoon at the Bum La Pass in the North-East Frontier Agency. Though heavily outnumbered, he bravely led his troops against a Chinese assault and defended his post until he was wounded and captured. Singh died from his injuries while in Chinese custody. He single-handedly killed more than 50 Chinese soldiers, and became a war hero within the Indian Armed Forces.

The Sikh Light Infantry is a light infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The regiment is the successor unit to the 23rd, 32nd and 34th Royal Sikh Pioneers of the British Indian Army. The regiment recruits from the Sikh community of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana states of India.

Sankhol is a village located in Bahadurgarh, just 30 km from Jhajjar city in Jhajjar district, Haryana, India and along NH 9. Sankhol comes in Assembly constituency 64-Bahadurgarh. The village has four polling stations. Today the village is 403 years old with 25–30 generation of people born.

The 2nd Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II and was disbanded in 1944. In its present form, 2 Mountain Division, raised in 1962, is part of the Indian Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sagat Singh</span> Indian Army officer (1919–2001)

Lieutenant General Sagat Singh, PVSM was a General Officer in the Indian Army, notable for his participation in liberation of Goa and later in Indo-Pakistani war of 1971. He held many commands and staff appointments throughout his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaswant Singh Rawat</span> Indian army soldier (1941–1962)

Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, MVC was an Indian Army soldier serving in the Garhwal Rifles who was awarded the prestigious Maha Vir Chakra posthumously as a result of his actions during the battle of Nuranang in present-day Arunachal Pradesh, India, during the Sino-Indian War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kuldip Singh Chandpuri</span> Indian Army officer

Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri MVC, VSM was a decorated Indian Army officer. He is known for his leadership in the Battle of Longewala during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, for which he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, the second highest Indian military decoration, by the Indian government. The 1997 Hindi film Border was based on the battle, with his role played by Sunny Deol. He was a councillor in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation from 2006 to 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Territorial Army (India)</span> Military reserve force in India

The Territorial Army (TA) is a military reserve force composed of part-time volunteers who provide support services to the Indian Army. It consists of officers, junior commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers and other personnel who hold ranks identical to those in the Indian Army, and also maintains civilian occupations. The primary role of the TA is to "relieve the regular army from static duties and assist civil administration in dealing with natural calamities and maintenance of essential services" and to "provide units for the regular army as and when required".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harbaksh Singh</span> Recipient of Vir Chakra

Lieutenant General Harbaksh Singh, VrC was a senior General Officer in the Indian Army. As the Western Army Commander, Singh commanded the Indian Army forces 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jagjit Singh Aurora</span> Indian military officer (1916–2005)

Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora, was an Indian Army General Officer who was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) Eastern Command during the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He organised and led the ground forces campaign in the Eastern Front of the war, which led to an overwhelming defeat of the combined Pakistan Armed Forces in East-Pakistan that led to the creation of Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigadier Hoshiyar Singh metro station</span> Metro station in Delhi, India

Brigadier Hoshiar Singh Metro Station is a terminus station on the Green Line of the Delhi Metro and is located at Bahadurgarh which comes under Jhajjar district of Haryana. It is an elevated station.

Major General Anant Singh Pathania MVC, MC was a decorated Indian Army general; the first Indian to receive a Military Cross in the Second World War, he was also the first Indian commanding officer of the Gorkha Rifles. During the Sino-Indian War of 1962, he commanded the 4th Infantry Division during a critical stage of the conflict where his leadership was criticised.

The Ahir Regiment, also known as the Yadav Regiment, is a proposed infantry regiment of the Indian Army that has been requested by the Yadava community.

Brigadier Gurbux Singh (1916–2013) was an Indian Army General Officer who had fought in various wars such as the Annexation of Goa and was famed in his role in the 1962 Sino-Indian War and the retreat of the Bomdila Pass.

References

  1. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 23 November 1963. p. 396.
  2. 1 2 "1962 War: The Chinese invasion - III".
  3. 1 2 Verma, Shiv Kunal (2016). 1962: The War that wasn't. p. 541. ISBN   978-93-84067-16-8.
  4. Singh, Hoshiar (27 November 2019). "Hoshiar Singh live in people's heart". Amarujala. Retrieved 27 November 2019.