Vijay Jagirdar | |
---|---|
Born | Jamuna Nagar, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India |
Died | 1 November 1984 Jamuna Nagar, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India |
Cause of death | Mob lynching |
Nationality | Indian |
Citizenship | ![]() |
Known for | Saving his neighbour's family during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots |
Awards | ![]() |
Vijay Jagirdar, AC, was posthumously awarded India's highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashoka Chakra, for his exemplary bravery in saving his neighbour's family during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Indore. [1]
Vijay Jagirdar was a resident of Jamuna Nagar, Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
Following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984, several mobs initiated the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, which quickly turned violent across India. [2] On the evening of 1 November 1984, a mob of about 150 people attacked the house of Balbir Singh, a neighbour of Vijay Jagirdar. [3] The ferocious mob, armed with knives and sticks, sought to kill Balbir Singh and his family. [4] During this violence, Jagirdar's family, who lived opposite Lalbagh Palace, gave shelter to the Sikh family. Seeing the gravity of the situation, Jagirdar came forward to confront the mob. [5] He pleaded with them not to harm the innocent Balbir Singh and his family. [6] However, the mob ignored his request. When Jagirdar tried to forcibly stop them, he was severely beaten, losing consciousness. He was rushed to the hospital, but succumbed to his injuries within half an hour. [7]
Jagirdar sacrificed his life to save his neighbour's family from a ferocious mob, without regard for his own safety. He was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra. [8]
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The Sikh Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It is the most highly decorated regiment of the Indian Army and in 1979, the 1st battalion was the Commonwealth's most decorated battalion, with 245 pre-independence and 82 post-independence gallantry awards, when it was transformed into the 4th battalion, Mechanised Infantry Regiment. The first battalion of the regiment was officially raised just before the partial annexation of the Sikh Empire on 1 August 1846, by the British East India Company. Currently, the Sikh Regimental Centre is located in Ramgarh Cantonment, Jharkhand. The Centre was earlier located in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
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