Man Mohan Bir Singh Talwar

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Man Mohan Bir Singh Talwar
Born1 April 1931
Abbottabad
Died31 May 2019
AllegianceFlag of India.svg  India
BranchAir Force Ensign of India.svg  Indian Air Force
Rank Group captain
Commands No. 5 Squadron IAF
Known forRole in Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
1984 anti-Sikh riots evidence
Battles / wars Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

Man Mohan Bir Singh Talwar (1 April 1931-31 May 2019) was an Indian Air Force fighter pilot known for his role in air operations during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, for which he received the Maha Vir Chakra, and for the evidence he submitted in relation to the violence upon Sikhs in Delhi in 1984.

Contents

Early life

Man Mohan Bir Singh Talwar was born on 1 April 1931 in Abbottabad, then in British India, to Kartar Singh. [1] [2]

Military career

Talwar was commissioned into the Indian Air Force on 14 October 1953 and from 1969 to 1972 served the Agra based No. 5 Squadron IAF, which operated English Electric Canberra bombers, first as squadron leader and then as Wing commander. [1] [3] [4] During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, he held the rank of Wing Commander and led several bombing missions into Pakistani territory. [3] Then, along with No. 16 Squadron IAF, he led his squadron's Canberras to Murid, Mianwali, Sargodha Chandhar, Masroor, Risalwala, Masroor, and Shorkot. [3]

Later life

In 1973 Talwar joined the Defence Services Staff College as Wing commander. [4] In 1977 was appointed Group Captain at Gorakhpur airbase. [4] He retired in 1979, following which he took to a garment business from his residence in Delhi. [4] [5]

Talwar's witness statement in relation to anti-Sikh violence in Delhi in 1984, is detailed in Pav Singh's 1984: India's Guilty Secret (2017). In it, he recounts how he was imprisoned for defending his family when mobs attacked them in November of that year. [5] [6]

References

  1. 1 2 Chakravorty, B. (1995). "2. Medals and decorations of India". Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners. New Delhi: Allied Publishers. p. 345. ISBN   81-7023-516-2.
  2. ↑ Phoolka, H. S.; Mitta, Manoj (2007). "Plight of a War Hero". When a Tree Shook Delhi. New Delhi: Roli Books. p. 45-47. ISBN   978-81-7436-598-9.
  3. 1 2 3 Napier, Michael (2022). "Indo-Pakistan War". Flashpoints: Air Warfare in the Cold War. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 166. ISBN   978-1-4728-5355-4.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Service Record for Group Captain Man Mohan Bir Singh Talwar 4573 GD(P) at Bharat Rakshak.com". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  5. 1 2 Singh, Parvinder (9 January 2017). "1984 Sikhs' Kristallnacht". South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA). Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  6. ↑ Dutta, Sujan (31 October 2021). "MVC Wg Cdr Man Mohan Bir Singh Talwar is known as the man who bombed Sargodha". The Tribune. Archived from the original on 25 July 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
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