They called him ‘Baba’, writes Gen Lachhman Singh, in his classic, Victory in Bangladesh. Soldier- Saint Brig Sant Singh Gill, MVC* won his second MVC for capturing Mymensingh and Basantpur in northeast Bangladesh…They saw a father-figure in him, the Bangladeshis he trained and led. Unsurprisingly, the Sikhs he led in the post-ceasefire operation of OP Hill, 1965, saw him similarly. That battle won him his first MVC, setting amazing standards of courage under fire. Read his story of infectious, ‘follow me’ courage, thinking on-one’s-feet and jugaad to convert fleeting battlefield opportunities into classic attack/pursuit operations. Sant is one of only six officers awarded a Bar to the MVC.
Humble beginnings
Physically of modest stature, Sant was born on July 12, 1921 to a marginal Jat Sikh farming family in Panjgrain Kalan village, Faridkot Princely State. Post-Matriculation and Intermediate as a boarder, Sant enlisted in July 1941 as a clerk in the Faridkot State Forces Engineer Field Company when World War II was raging.
During the Japanese siege of Imphal in March-June 1944, his CO, Lt Col B A E Maude, recommended him for an Officers Commission. After display of fortitude and persistence of a rare order, Sant was commissioned on February 16, 1947 in 1/14 Punjab Regiment then deployed in NWFP; gaining firsthand guerilla warfare experience.
On partition, with the Regiment allotted to Pakistan, Sant reported to 2 SIKH LI at Rajkot, Gujarat in November 1947 in time for the Junagadh State operations. He then reported to 1 SIKH LI, participating in operations in Naushehra-Jhanger Sector from January 1948-April 1953 and being awarded a M-in-D (Gallantry) though recommended for a Maha Vir Chakra (MVC).
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