Four brothers, two sons in one war

PUNJAB is the land of farmers and soldiers, and tales abound of their exploits, contribution and unique distinctions. However, it has to be something of a record when six of the seven men from a family who join the armed forces serve in a war at the same time.

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The patriarch, Sohan Singh, belonged to the Sandhu family of Rampur village in Sialkot district (now in Pakistan), having a large landholding.

As a young boy, he joined the famous 90th Punjabis (originally a Madras Presidency battalion of the East India Company) and took part in World War I and later in the Third Afghan War (in the NWFP), earning gallantry awards in both. He rose to the rank of Subedar, finally retiring in 1933.

He had eight sons and the eldest, Jaswant Singh, joined the 6/15 Punjab Regiment and saw action in Burma. As a Captain, he saved numerous Hindus and Sikhs from the rioters during Partition. Later, three more sons joined the armed forces — two in Punjab Regiment and one in the Indian Air Force. Of the remaining four, two took up farming at the land allotted to Subedar Sohan Singh as compensation in Sangrur district, one took to teaching and went abroad, while one joined the Railways.

In the 1965 war, Lt Col Jaswant Singh led his battalion, 7 Punjab, from the front, capturing the heavily defended Ichhogil Canal and the Bhaini Dhilwal Bridge, after two other battalions had failed. 7 Punjab won a record 42 gallantry awards and Battle Honour Dograi; Lt Col Jaswant got the Vishisht Seva Medal.

Thereafter, he commanded a brigade in Mizo Hills (now Mizoram) where militancy was at its peak at the time. He was instrumental in crushing the movement and brought the local populace into ‘grouped’ villages called Progressive Village Centres (PVCs), thereby protecting them from the day-to-day threat imposed by the militants.

The Sandhu family’s finest hour was in the 1971 India-Pakistan war which saw six members in action. Four real brothers were employed in frontline operations: Jaswant was a Divisional Commander, Harbhajan a Brigade Commander, Upkar a Battalion Commander, while Mohinder was a Flight Lieutenant.

Maj Gen Jaswant Singh commanded a division in the Chhamb-Jaurian sector of Jammu and Kashmir and was instrumental in blunting the main offensive of Pakistan. Brig Harbhajan Singh commanded a brigade in the eastern sector, leading it to capture Siramani and Khulna.

Lt Col Upkar Singh commanded 7 Punjab, which captured Jessore air field, while Flt Lt Mohinder Singh flying the Canberra aircraft carried out intensive bombings on Sargodha in the western front.

Maj Gen Jaswant Singh’s son, Capt Ardamanjit Singh of 2 Field Regiment, was part of 1 Armoured Division deployed against a Pakistani armoured formation (he retired as a Maj Gen), while 2/Lt Sarabjit Singh, Brig Harbhajan Singh’s son, was in the Engineer Regiment in the Ferozepur sector.

Incidentally, both Jaswant Singh and Upkar Singh commanded the same 7 Punjab battalion in the 1965 and 1971 wars, respectively — a distinction and a rare honour.

Lt Gen Jaswant Singh became Vice Chief of Army Staff, but unfortunately died in harness. The legacy, though, is enduring.