Pictures-
1) AIR Jodhpur team , Pex O P Lakhara and Announcer Bhanu Purohit with Lt Gen. Ata Hasnain post interview with him on Lt Gen sagat Singh.
2) AIR Jodhpur's Bhanu Purohit interviewing Shri Ran Vijay Singh, son of Lt Gen Sagat Singh
3) Lt Gen Sagat Singh addressing troupes in 1971 war
4) Gen Sagat Singh's bust inaugurated in Jaipur
'General J S Aurora, the commander of the Indian forces in the East, asked General Sagat Singh to withdraw his troops who were on the move to Dacca -- but he refused.'
'He said, "Jaggi, over my dead body".'
'Therefore, I say the creator of Bangladesh was General Sagat Singh.'Lieutenant General O P Kaushik salutes the incredible soldiers who turned the tide in the 1971 War.
Lieutenant General Sagat Singh, born in Churu district of Rajasthan on 14 July 1919, was one of the greatest Generals of the world. Known for his extra ordinary military mind, intelligence and chivalry, Lt. Gen. Sagat Singh's contribution to India is celebrated all over the country during his birth centenary. A bust of Lt Gen Singh was inaugurated in Jaipur ( Rajasthan) and Nathu-La ( Sikkim) .
He started as a Naik in the elite Ganga Risala of the erstwhile Bikaner State, was promoted as Naib Subedar, got commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Ganga Risala and rose to the rank of Lieutenant General.
He was the man behind the success of Operation Vijay in 1961 which aimed at liberating Goa from the Portuguese.
The parachute brigade led by Lt Gen Sagat Singh played a prominent part in the liberation of Goa, and his men were the first to enter Panjim on December 19, 1961, ending 451 years of Portuguese rule.
The Nathu La clashes started on 11 September 1967, when the People's Liberation Army (PLA) launched an attack on Indian posts at Nathu La, and lasted till 15 September 1967. In October 1967, another military duel took place at Cho La and ended on the same day. Major General Sagat Singh, GOC 17 Mountain Division, refused to vacate Nathu La, which was a Border Out Post (BOP),
According to independent sources, the Indian forces achieved "decisive tactical advantage" and defeated the Chinese forces in these clashes. Many PLA fortifications at Nathu La were said to be destroyed, where the Indian troops drove back the attacking Chinese forces. General Sagat Singh forced Chinese troupes to retrieve. The Tri-Colour continues to flutter with pride today at Natu La because of the grit, determination and farsightedness of the officer and our Nation shall always remain grateful to General Sagat Singh. Indeed, he shall always be remembered as 'The Iron Man of Nathu La'.
Later during the Indo-Pak war of 1971, his Corps made a famous advance to Dhaka during liberation of Bangladesh and also participated in Meghna Heli Bridge Operation, an important aerial operation during the war. In fact this operation stunned the world's armies. It emerged as Lt Gen Sagat Singh's crowning glory as he used Mi4 helicopters to fly over the Meghna river as his Corps relentlessly attacked and defeated the Pakistani forces, crossing river lines and terrain considered impassable. His innovative use of helicopters remains unparalleled. The Indian Army shall request the Goa government, the Eastern Command as well as Bangladesh government to celebrate his birth centenary.