Highly decorated General dies at 97

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 24

Lt Gen Zorawar Chand Bakshi (retd), one of India’s most highly decorated generals, is no more. He passed away in New Delhi at of 97.

Fondly known as “Zoru” by friends, Lt Gen Bakshi was decorated for gallantry with the Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra, Mention-in-Despatches, besides being awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service. Those who knew him said he was a strict disciplinarian who remained an icon and a source of inspiration to the past and present generations of officers.

Gen Bakshi hailed from Gulyana village near Rawalpindi in Pakistan, where he was born in 1921. His father Bahadur Bakshi Lal Chand served with the erstwhile British Indian Army and was decorated with the Order of British India.

After graduating from Rawalpindi’s Gordon College in 1942, he was commissioned into the Baloch Regiment 1943. His first major engagement was against the Japanese in Burma in World War II, where he was Mentioned-in-Despatches for overcoming a heavily-fortified Japanese position.

After the liberation of Burma, he participated in the operations to liberate Malaysia from Japanese control, earning a fast-track promotion to the rank of a Major for his role. After Partition in 1947, he was transferred to 5th Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army and soon after saw action during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1947-1948, where he was awarded the Vir Chakra in July 1948. In 1949, he received the MacGregor Medal, awarded to Indian armed forces personnel for valuable reconnaissance.

In the 1965 war, he was instrumental in the capture of the strategic Haji Pir Pass in the Uri Sector from Pakistan forces, for which he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. He was commanding a brigade given the difficult task of capturing Basali, Haji Pir and Kahuta, which was vital for the Uri-Poonch link-up. His citation states that throughout this operation, Brigadier Bakshi remained in the forefront and displayed a high standard of planning and tactical skill, combined with outstanding leadership, determination and camaraderie in sharing the hardships of his troops.

In the early 1960s, he led his battalion in a United Nations operation in Congo. In 1969-1970, he took part in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East. During the 1971 Indo-Pak war, he oversaw operations in the crucial Chicken’s Neck area in the Sialkot sector, capturing territory from enemy control. During his 36-year service, he commanded the Second Battalion of 5 GR, 68 Infantry Brigade, 8 and 26 Mountain Divisions and the C Corps at Chandimandir, before retiring in 1979. He also served as the Military Secretary at Army Headquarters.