Lieutenant Colonel Harbans Singh Virk, MVC, DSO (1912–?) was an army officer who served in the

British Indian army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

and later the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

Background

Virk was born in village Chuhar Kanan,

Sheikhupura Sheikhupura (Punjabi language, Punjabi / ; ) also known as Qila Sheikhupura, is a city and district in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. Founded by the Mughal Empire, Mughal Emperor Jahangir in 1607, Sheikhupura is the List of ...

, Punjab Province, British India (now in Punjab, Pakistan). After India's Partition, he appears to have settled in

Kaithal Kaithal () is a city and municipal council in the Kaithal district of the Indian state of Haryana. Kaithal was previously a part of Karnal district and later, Kurukshetra district until 1 November 1989, when it became the headquarters of the ...

, Haryana.

Military career

World War II

Virk was commissioned in the

Maratha Light Infantry The Maratha Light Infantry is a light infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It traces its lineage to the Bombay Sepoys, raised in 1768, making it the most senior light infantry regiment in the Indian Army. Recruitment The class composition o ...

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

, on 4 August 1941. There is some uncertainty regarding his service number, as British records state it as 'IEC-801', while Indian records state it as 'IC-656'. Virk was awarded a

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

for gallantry in displayed in

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

in March 1945, as a Major commanding a company in the 4th Battalion (Sikhs) of the

12th Frontier Force Regiment The 12th Frontier Force Regiment was formed in 1922 as part of the British Indian Army. It consisted of five regular battalions; numbered 1 to 5 and the 10th (Training) Battalion. During the Second World War a further ten battalions were raised. ...

17th Indian Division The 17th Indian Division was formed in 1917 from units of the British Indian Army for service in the Mesopotamia Campaign during World War I. After the war, it formed part of the occupation force for Iraq and took part in the Iraq Rebellion i ...

Post-Independence

Virk was awarded the

Maha Vir Chakra The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) () is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the B ...

on India's first Republic Day, 26 January 1950, for his leadership and gallantry at Naushera and

Jhangar Jhangar or Jhanger is a village in the Rajouri district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, close to the Line of Control that divides the Indian and Pakistan-administered portions of Kashmir. History Prior to 1947, Jhangar was the ba ...

during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-48 in

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...

. In 1953, he took command of 6

Kumaon Regiment The Kumaon Regiment is one of the oldest infantry regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment traces its origins to the 18th century and has fought in every major campaign of the British Indian Army and the Indian Army, including the two world war ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Virk, Harbans Singh 1912 births Year of death missing Indian Army officers People of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948 Punjabi Sikhs Indian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Recipients of the Maha Vir Chakra People from Punjab Province (British India) Frontier Force Regiment officers