Jagjit Singh Aurora (1916-2005) was a retired three-star general of the Indian Army and politician. He is best known for his service as the Commander of the Eastern Group of the Indian Army during the Third Indo-Pak War of 1971. He died of natural causes on May 3, 2005 in New Delhi.
Wiki/Biography
Jagjit Singh Aurora also known as Jagjit Singh Arora was born on Sunday 13 February 1916 in Jhelum District, Punjab Province, British India Kalagujran (now in Punjab, Pakistan) (died at age 89). After completing her education at Mission High School, Rawalpindi, Aurora joined the Indian Military Academy (IMA) and enlisted in the British Indian Army on January 1, 1939.
appearance
Height (approximately): 6′
Hair color: gray
Eye color: dark brown
family
Jagjit Singh Aurora was born into a Sikh family in Punjab.
Parents and siblings
His father, Dewan Singh, was an engineer. His sister Sampooran Jeet is a teacher.
wife and children
His wife Bhagwant Kaur Aurora died in 1997.
Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora (third from left) and his wife receiving the ‘Saropa’ from the Patna Sahib Committee
The couple left behind a son and a daughter. His daughter’s name is Anita Kalra. His son Kiranjit Singh Rana is an American publisher.
Anita Kalra at her father’s funeral
religion
Jagjit Singh Aurora believes in Sikhism.
address
He resides in 529(A), Hargobindpura Basti, Sangrur, Punjab, India.
Signature/Autograph
Signature of Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora
Profession
British Indian Army
Jagjit Singh Aurora’s career as a Second Lieutenant in the British Indian Army began on 1 January 1939 when he was commissioned as a member of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment, and thereafter served in Burma (now Burma) served with the regiment and fought alongside the Commonwealth forces against the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. On January 30, 1940, Aurora was promoted to lieutenant. On February 22, 1940, he was promoted to the rank of captain (acting). On 1 February 1942, he was commissioned Major (Acting) in the British Indian Army. On February 5, 1941, Aurora was commissioned Captain (temporary). On 1 May 1942, he held the rank of Captain and Major (temporary) in the British Indian Army. On January 30, 1946, after the end of World War II, Aurora became a substantive captain in the British Indian Army.
Note: During the Second World War, due to the shortage of officers in the British Indian Army, the ranks awarded to officers were war service ranks, acting ranks and temporary ranks.
indian army
After India gained independence from Britain on August 15, 1947, the British Indian Army was divided into the Indian Army and the Pakistan Army. Jagjit Singh Aurora decided to join the Indian Army. On January 26, 1950, after India adopted the constitution and became a republic, the Indian government changed the British-era rank insignia of the Indian Armed Forces, and the Aurora was subsequently reorganized into the 2nd Battalion, Punjab Regiment of the Indian Army.
1947-48 Indo-Pak War
After independence, India and Pakistan fought their first war over Jammu and Kashmir after Pakistan sent troops to invade the region. During the war, Aurora, who commanded troops, witnessed operations against the invading Kashmiri tribe Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Pakistani army.
After the 1947 War
On February 26, 1950, Jagjit Singh Aurora was commissioned as Major (temporary) and on January 30, 1951, he became a substantial Major. Promoted to lieutenant colonel on January 13, 1952. On November 28, 1959, he became brigadier general (acting) and commanded an infantry brigade. On August 1, 1958, he became a Colonel in the Indian Army. In 1961, he was posted to the 33rd Corps of the Indian Army as a Brigadier General (BGS). As Chief of Army Staff of 33 Corps, Jagjit Singh Aurora led a team of officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) to form the Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT) to engage with the various Dan established closer military relations.
1962 Sino-Indian War
During the 1962 Sino-Indian war, Jagjit Singh Aurora was posted to the Northeast Frontier Agency (NEFA) to command an infantry brigade. The war started on October 20, 1962 and ended on November 21, 1962.
Career after the 1962 War
Jagjit Singh Aurora was promoted to the rank of Major General (Acting) in the Indian Army and was appointed Commander of the Infantry Division on February 21, 1963. On 20 June 1964, he became a de facto Major General and was appointed Commander-in-Chief of Military Training (DMT) on 23 November 1964.
1965 India-Pakistan War
Jagjit Singh Aurora participated in the 1965 Indo-Pak war as a Major General. After the Indo-Pak war in 1965, Jagjit Singh Aurora was promoted and became Lieutenant General (Acting) on June 6, 1966, and was subsequently appointed as Deputy Chief of Army Staff (DCOAS). On August 4, 1966, he became a substantive lieutenant general.
Nathu La Incident
In 1967, Jagjit Singh Aurora was again posted to the North Eastern Frontier Agency (NEFA). In 1967, he commanded a regiment of the Indian Army during the conflict with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at Nathu La and Cho La. Indian troops forced the Chinese troops to retreat from their positions.
Served as Commander-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) during the 1971 War
On June 8, 1969, Jagjit Singh Aurora was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Command of the Indian Army. Shortly after taking office, he was asked to begin preparations for the war that began on December 3, 1971. As corps commander, Aurora ensured that 30,000 tons of supplies reached the eastern front unimpeded. In an article written by Lieutenant General Rediff in Aurora, he said:
As far as I remember, we started deploying troops in large numbers in June 1971. We have also started mobilizing our military administrators as our depots do not have enough equipment to fight the Pakistani army on the eastern border. All the warehouses we have were built during World War II. We have also deployed additional troops on the Assam and Tripura borders. Because if we are attacked by Pakistani troops on this front, we don’t want to get caught. “
As GOC, he oversaw the training and arming of the Mukti Bahinis, a Bangladeshi guerrilla force that fought against the Pakistani army in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The war began at around 5:40 pm on December 3, 1971, when the Pakistan Air Force bombed Indian airfields. During the war, he formulated the strategy for the Indian Army to attack the Pakistani Army from four different fronts in East Pakistan. His plan was to quickly defeat the Pakistani forces, attacking them at some points and bypassing them at others, resulting in the unconditional surrender of the Pakistani armed forces in East Pakistan within 13 days. On December 16, 1971, Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, Joint Commander of the Eastern Military Supreme Command of the Pakistan Armed Forces, signed the instrument of surrender at Ramna Racecourse in Dhaka at 16:31.
Lieutenant General Jajit Singh Aurora and Lieutenant General Ak Niazi sign the surrender document in Dhaka
Photo of the surrender document signed by Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora and Lieutenant General AAK Niazi
The surrender of East Pakistan resulted in more than 93,000 Pakistani soldiers being captured by the Indian army, making it the largest surrender since the end of World War II.
Pakistan Army presents guard of honor to Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora after surrender
After the surrender, East Pakistan gained freedom from West Pakistan (now Pakistan) and was renamed Bangladesh.
Jagjit Singh Aurora and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman after the liberation of Bangladesh
Career after the 1971 war
Lieutenant General Jajit Singh Aurora continued as Commander-in-Chief Eastern Command until his retirement from the Indian Army in 1973.
politics
After retiring from the Indian Army, Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora joined the Akali Dal and served as a member of the Lok Sabha from 1986 to 1992.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- After the war in 1971, the President of India awarded Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh the Palam Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM).
- In 1972, the Indian government awarded Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora the Padma Shri, India’s third highest civilian decoration.
- Lieutenant General Jajit Singh Aurora was awarded Bangladesh’s fourth highest gallantry award, Bir Protik.
- The Punjab government conferred the Punjab Cane Award on Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora after his death.
die
Jagjit Singh Aurora died in New Delhi on May 3, 2005, at the age of 89. He died of age-related causes. After his death, Bangladesh’s then Foreign Minister Morshed Khan said:
Aurora will be remembered in the history of Bangladesh for her contribution in leading the Allied Forces during the 1971 Liberation War. “
He was cremated at Brar Maidan, New Delhi, with full military honors.
Facts/Trivia
- Lieutenant General JFR Jacob wrote in his book Dhaka Surrender: The Birth of a Nation that during the 1971 war, Jagjit Singh Aurora often visited the troops fighting on the front line but spent time with the field commanders not good. Indian Army. He wrote,
During the 1971 operation, the Aurora frequently visited forward areas, but failed to win the trust of most field commanders. His relationship with most people was like oil and water, and although his subordinate commanders fought meritoriously, he did not cultivate them. “
- In 1984, Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora objected to Indira Gandhi’s decision and criticized her after the Indian Army attacked the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Talking about this, he said,
I don’t think there will be a very comfortable period in Punjab in the coming months. She is a very capable person and has great staying power. But she had no warmth. She can be a vicious, cold, calculating person. “
- Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora has often expressed support for improving relations between India and Pakistan.
- According to Lt Gen JFR Jacob, Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora used to come to the office around 10 am when he was the Commander of Army Group East and the office hours were from 7.30 am to 1.30 pm.
- After the anti-Sikh riots in 1984, Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh joined the Citizens’ Judiciary Committee and founded the Sikh Forum to seek justice for the victims of the riots.
- In 1984, Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora published a book titled “Punjab Stories”, which was based on Operation Blue Star conducted by the Indian Army.
- Jagjit Singh Aurora is passionate about golf.
- After the death of Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw paid tribute to him and praised him for his contribution to the Indian Army’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war. Sam Manekshaw said of this:
While I took over the Field Marshal’s baton, Judge completed the job. “
- After the death of Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora in 2005, his uniform and medals were handed over to the Indian Army.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education