Sagat Singh: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Indian Army officer (1919–2001)}}{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}

{{Use Indian English|date=July 2022}}

In September 1944, Singh rejoined his battalion and was appointed adjutant. He was selected to attend the [[Staff College, Quetta]] and joined the 12th War Staff course from May to November 1945.{{sfn|Singh|2022}} After completing the course, he was recalled to Bikaner and appointed [[brigade major]] of the state forces, working directly under the [[commander-in-chief]].{{sfn|Sinh|2013|p=25}} After the war, when it became apparent that India would be an independent nation, he was responsible for the absorption of the state forces into the [[Indian Army]].{{sfn|Sinh|2013|p=26}}

After a {{frac|2|1|2}}-year stint, in May 1960, he was promoted to the rank of [[Colonel (India)|colonel]] and posted to Army HQ as deputy director personnel services in the Adjutant-General's branch.{{sfn|Singh|2022}} Here, his good work brought him to the notice of the [[Adjutant-General (India)|Adjutant-General]] Lieutenant General [[Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam|P P Kumaramangalam]].{{sfn|Sinh|2013|p=42}} In September 1961, Singh was promoted to the rank of [[brigadier]] and given command of India's only parachute brigade, the elite [[50th Parachute Brigade (India)|50th Parachute Brigade]] at [[Agra]]. This was unprecedented as command of the brigade is not given to non-para officers. At the age of 42, he immediately earned his [[maroon beret]] and his [[Parachutist badge]] by making the required number of jumps.{{sfn|Sinh|2013|p=42}}{{sfn|Singh|2022}}

In late November 1961, Singh was summoned to the Military Operations directorate at Army HQ for the planning of the [[liberation of Goa]]. The force consisted of 17th Infantry Division, led by Major General [[Kunhiraman Palat Candeth]], which was to move into Goa from the East and 50 Parachute Brigade which was tasked to execute a subsidiary thrust from the North. Gen Candeth was in overall command of the force. The para brigade had two battalions (1 Para and 2 Para) and it was planned that one battalion would be para-dropped. 2 Para was moved to [[Begumpet Air Force Station]] for this purpose. The brigade moved from Agra on 2 December and reached [[Belgaum]] by 6 December where Singh established the brigade HQ. Since the brigade has only 2 battalions 2nd battalion [[Sikh Light Infantry]] (2 Sikh LI) which was in [[Madras]] was also allotted. The brigade received armoured elements as well - the [[7th Light Cavalry]] with its [[M3 Stuart|Stuart tanks]] and a squadron of [[8th Light Cavalry]] which had [[AMX-13]] tanks.{{sfn|Singh|2022}}

Although the 50th Para Brigade was charged with merely assisting the main thrust conducted by the 17th Infantry Division, its units moved rapidly across minefields, roadblocks and four riverine obstacles to be the first to reach the capital of Goa, [[Panjim]] on 19 December 1961. The brigade achieved objectives much beyond its initial purview. On entering the capital, Singh ordered his troops to remove their steel helmets and wear the [[Parachute Regiment (India)|Parachute Regiment]]’s [[maroon beret]]s.<ref name="Mohan2001">{{Cite journal |last=Mohan |first=P. V. S. Jagan |date=November–December 2001 |title=Remembering Sagat Singh (1918–2001) |url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/MONITOR/ISSUE4-3/jagan.html |url-status=dead |journal=[[Bharat Rakshak Monitor]] |volume=4 |issue=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130204131720/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/MONITOR/ISSUE4-3/jagan.html |archive-date=4 February 2013 |access-date=12 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Remembering Sagat Singh (1918-2001) - Bharat Rakshak - Indian Army & Land Forces |url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/ARMY/personnel/martyrs/175-Sagat-Singh.html |website=www.bharat-rakshak.com |access-date=27 November 2020 |archive-date=21 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921002237/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/ARMY/personnel/martyrs/175-Sagat-Singh.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The brigade was in Goa till June 1962. After moving back to Agra, Singh led the brigade for another year-and-a-half, until January 1964. He was selected to attend the prestigious [[National Defence College (India)|National Defence College]] (NDC). He joined the 4th NDC course and graduated in January 1965. He was then appointed Brigadier General Staff (BGS) at HQ [[XI Corps (India)|XI Corps]] at [[Jalandhar]].{{sfn|Singh|2022}}

After a short Stint as BGS, in July 1965, Singh was promoted to the rank of [[Major General]] and appointed [[General Officer Commanding]] (GOC) [[17th Infantry Division (India)|17 Mountain Division]], the division which had participated in the Goa operations. The division had since moved to [[Sikkim]] and was on the Indo-China border.{{sfn|Singh|2022}} During this stint, the [[Nathu La and Cho La clashes]] took place, where 17 Mountain Division achieved "decisive tactical advantage" and defeated the Chinese forces in these clashes.<ref>{{cite news|date=10 July 2019|title=Army commemorating war hero Lt Gen Sagat Singh's birth centenary|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/army-commemorating-war-hero-lt-gen-sagat-singhs-birth-centenary/1571962|newspaper=Outlook|access-date=11 May 2020|archive-date=30 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930192041/https://www.outlookindia.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Van Praagh|2003|p=301}}

Singh married Kamla Kumari on 27 January 1947; Kamla was daughter of the [[Jammu_and_Kashmir_High_Court#List_of_former_chief_justices|Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir]], Rachpal Singh. They had four sons, two of whom joined the army. Their eldest son, Ranvijay, was born in February 1949. He was  commissioned into the 1st battalion, [[The Garhwal Rifles]] (1 GARH RIF), which was later mechanised and re-designated as 6th battalion the [[Mechanised Infantry Regiment]] (6 MECH). He retired in the rank of [[Colonel (India)|Colonel]]. The second son, Digvijay, was born in October 1950 and was commissioned into the 2nd battalion the [[3rd Gorkha Rifles]] (2/3 GR), the battalion his father had commanded. Unfortunately, he died an untimely death while serving with the battalion in Poonch as a [[Captain (armed forces)|Captain]] on 4 March 1976, when the jeep in which he was travelling met with an accident. Their third son, Vir Vijay was born in August 1954. An ill-fated scooter accident in Delhi claimed his life just eight months before that of his elder brother. The loss of two sons in the prime of their lives within a short span of eight months was a terrible loss to Sagat and his wife. Their youngest son  Chandra Vijay was born in April 1956. He became a business executive.{{sfn|Singh|2022}}