Inderbal Singh Bawa

Lieutenant Colonel Inderbal Singh Bawa MVC
Born	May 25, 1947 Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Died	October 13, 1987 (aged 40) Sri Lanka
Allegiance	India
Branch	Indian Army
Years of service	1967 — 1987
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Service number	IC-17621P
Unit	5 Gorkha Rifles
Commands	CO 4/5 GR (FF)
Battles / wars	Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Operation Pawan   †
Awards	Maha Vir Chakra
Alma mater	Indian Military Academy
Spouse	Smt Lily Bawa
Children	Colonel Tejinder Bawa

Inderbal Singh Bawa, MVC was an Indian Army officer who was killed in action in Operation Pawan. He posthumously received the Maha Vir Chakra award for gallantry. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Early life and education

Bawa was born in Lucknow on 25 May 1947 to Dr. HS Bawa. He completed his education from DAV Higher Secondary School, Shimla. Later he joined Indian Military Academy. ^[4]

Military career

Bawa was commissioned in the 5 Gorkha Regiment on 11 June 1967. As a young officer, he took part in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. ^[5]

Bawa was deployed to Sri Lanka to take part in Operation Pawan. Upon getting deployed, he quickly joined the battle and led his unit from the front. His unit had cleared LTTE hideouts at several places of Northern Sri Lanka.

On 13th October 1987, Bawa's unit was assigned the task to safely rescue trapped soldiers of 13 Sikh Light Infantry and 10 Para Commando SF stuck at Kondavil. Bawa led his unit to join the mission. However while completing the mission, a heavy exchange of fire occurred between Indian forces and militants. Subsequently, a bullet hit him and he was killed in action. ^{[6] [7] [8]}

Maha Vir Chakra

For Bawa's gallantry action, he was awarded with Maha Vir Chakra, India's second highest gallantry award. Bawa's Maha Vir Chakra reads as follows: ^[9]

CITATION

LIEUTENANT COLONEL INDERBAL SINGH BAWA

4/5 GORKHA RIFLES (IC 17621)

Deployed in Sri Lanka as part of the operation of the Indian Peace Keeping Force, Lieutenant Colonel lnder Bal Singh Bawa landed with his battalion at Palai on 11 October 1987 and went immediately into battle with the task of clearing the Axis Vasavilan-Urgmpurai-Jaffna Fort. The militants desperately contested the advance from strongly fortified positions. The officer contained, bypassed, and reduced each position, inflicting heavy casualties on the militants. He personally led his command and was a sustained inspiration to his men. The battalion was again detailed to extricate 13 Sikh Light Infantry and 10 Para Commando teams from the Kondavil North East area. Lieutenant Colonel Bawa again led his battalion through the heavily fortified territory, linked up with the above force, and successfully extricated them on 13 October 1987. In this effort, a militant suicide squad sprayed him with a hail of bullets and he died fighting gallantly.

Lieutenant Colonel lnder Bal Singh Bawa displayed conspicuous bravery and vital leadership in the face of frenzied militants.

References

1. "New Army chief's old bond stays intact". The Times of India. 2014-07-31. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 2025-04-17.
2. "Mahavir Chakra Lt.Col.Inderbal Singh Bawa - Gateway to Sikhism". www.allaboutsikhs.com/. Retrieved 2025-04-17.
3. "Gallantry Awards | Ministry of Defence, Government of India". www.gallantryawards.gov.in. Retrieved 2025-04-17.
4. "Fighting for India in a foreign land". The Indian Express. 2019-10-11. Retrieved 2025-04-17.
5. "5 Gorkha Rifles Archives". Honourpoint. Retrieved 2025-04-17.
6. "Lt Col Inderbal Singh Bawa MVC". Honourpoint. Retrieved 2025-04-17.
7. "Triennial National Convention in Panchkula: War widows share sacrifices beyond the battlefield". Hindustan Times. 2024-03-17. Archived from the original on 2024-04-14. Retrieved 2025-04-17.
8. Aneja, Atul (2020-05-30). "Know the Gurkha regiment, pillar of India's security for decades". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2025-04-17.
9. "Gallantry Awards | Ministry of Defence, Government of India". www.gallantryawards.gov.in. Retrieved 2025-04-17.