Brigadier Manjit Singh Minhas,
MVC was an officer of the
Indian Army, who served with the
Mahar Regiment and the
11 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry. He was awarded the
Maha Vir Chakra, India's second highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy, during
Operation Pawan 1987 in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.
Early life and education
Brigadier Manjit Singh Minhas was born in
Sikh
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
Rajput family
Hoshiarpur district,
Punjab, India and studied at the
Khalsa College, Amritsar. He came from a military family, with his father and two brothers also having served in the
Indian Army.
Military career
Brigadier Manjit Singh was commissioned into the
Mahar Regiment on 17 December 1961 and subsequently transferred to the
11 JAK LI.
In October 1987 during Operation Pawan, he commanded the 41 Brigade that was among the formations tasked to capture
Jaffna from the militant group
LTTE
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...
, an operation that saw intense fighting and heavy casualties.
Brigadier Manjit Singh's
Brigade was tasked to establish a link-up with
Jaffna Fort, in the face of all-out and very aggressive efforts by the LTTE militants to stop their advance. He personally took charge of the leading elements with just two companies of
Rajput Rifles. He was able to break through the cordon established by the LTTE militants, and establish a link-up with
Para Commandos based out of Jaffna Fort. For his valour and leadership, he was awarded the
Maha Vir Chakra.
See also
*
Indo-Sri Lanka Accord
*
Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Manjit
Recipients of the Maha Vir Chakra
Indian Army officers
People from Hoshiarpur
Punjabi Sikhs
1942 births
2020 deaths