''Creater of Bangladesh'' Lt Gen Sagat Singh be given Bharat Ratna: Army

JAIPUR: Lieutenant General Sagat Singh—who was instrumental in the creation of Bangladesh in 1971 besides the liberation of Goa from the Portuguese in 1961—should be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously, army officials have said.

The officials were speaking at a curtain raiser to mark Sagat''s birth centenary. Tribune photo.

Yash Goyal

Our Corresspondent

Jaipur, June 20

Lieutenant General Sagat Singh—who was instrumental in the creation of Bangladesh in 1971 besides the liberation of Goa from the Portuguese in 1961—should be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously, army officials have said.

The officials were speaking at a curtainraiser to mark Sagat's birth centenary. The officials said Sagat’s biography should be included in the school and college curricula in Rajasthan.

"Lt General Sagat was awarded the Param Vishist Seva Medal. This is not sufficient. He played a crucial role in the Indo-Pak war of 1971 and helped liberate Bangladesh in just 13 days,” said Lt General Cherish Mathson, the Commander of the Sapta Shakti Command on Wednesday.

Sagat’s “incredible march to Dhaka should be recognised. It seems that in the history of Indian Army, Sagat's great contribution has faded," Mathson said.

"Army would also request the Defence Ministry to extend an invite to Bangladesh so that they can participate in Sagat's centenary which is being observed in Rajasthan from July 8 to July 14," the Commander said.

The event was also attended by Sagat's son—Colonel Ranvijay Singh.

In his interaction with media, Singh said his father was born in Kusumdesar (Moda) village in Rajasthan's Churu district on July 14, 1919.

Sagat began his military career as a ‘Naik’ in the Bikaner Ganga Risala in 1938. Sagat eventually rose to the coveted rank of a Lieutenant General after taking on many challenging military assignments, Singh added.

In the Indo-Pak war of 1971, Sagat’s Corps not only made the famous advance towards Dhaka but also participated in the Meghna Heli Bridge operation—an important aerial operation during the war. He also witnessed the signing of the infamous surrender instrument by General Niazi of Pakistan Army.