Brigadier
Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...
Sukhjit Singh,
MVC (born 15 October 1934) is a former
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 ...
officer who served with The
Scinde Horse. He was awarded the
Maha Vir Chakra, India's second highest award for gallantry, for his leadership and courage in facing the enemy during the
Battle of Basantar in the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Early life
Crown Prince Sukhjit Singh was born on 15 October 1934, in
Bangalore
Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
as the second child to the Crown Prince Paramjit Singh Sahib Bahadur (son of
King Jagatjit Singh I) by his second wife, Lilavati Devi, he had an elder sister, Princess Aas Kaur (b.1933 - d.2017) as well as three paternal elder half-sisters (
Princess Indira Devi, Princess Sushila Devi and Princess Urmila Devi) from,
Brinda Devi, the first wife of his father.
He was educated at
The Doon School
The Doon School (informally Doon School or Doon) is a Selective school, selective all-boys Private school, private boarding school in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, which was established in 1935. It was envisioned by Satish Ranjan Das, a lawyer ...
in
Dehradun
Dehradun (), also known as Dehra Doon, is the winter capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, d ...
, and then received military training at the
Indian Military Academy
The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the oldest military academies in India, and trains officers for the Indian Army. Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, it was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up ...
.
His fondest memory is of rides with his grandfather, the Maharaja of Kapurthala, "in a zebra-driven chariot in the zoological gardens of the palace", according to an interview to The Tribune.
Military career
During the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Brigadier Sukhjit Singh held the rank of Lt. Colonel. In the
Battle of Basantar, Lt. Col. Sukhjit Singh was in command of The Scinde Horse (14 Horse) armored regiment, which was deployed in
Shakargarh. On the night of 8 December, the regiment crossed into Pakistani territory and established itself near
Nainan Kot. On 10 December, Pakistani forces launched a powerful armored counterattack which Lt. Col. Sukhjit Singh's regiment successfully resisted. Leading from the front, Lt. Col. Sukhjit Singh directed his tanks with great skill. His unit forced the Pakistani force to retreat after the loss of only one tank. The next day, under heavy artillery and mortar fire, Lt. Col. Sukhjit Singh led an operation to capture enemy tanks at
Malakpur. In the ensuing engagement, his regiment destroyed eight Pakistani tanks and captured one officer, two junior commissioned officers and two other soldiers.
Lt. Col. Sukhjit Singh later received the
Maha Vir Chakra, India's second highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy, in recognition of his efforts in the Battle of Basantar. Lt. Col. Sukhjit Singh eventually rose to the rank of Brigadier.
Titles
*Farzand-i-Dilband Rasikh-al-Iqtidad-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Raja-i-Rajagan, Maharaja Sukhjit Singh Sahib Bahadur, Crown Prince of Kapurthala
Gallery
With Maharaja Lunch.jpg, Brig. Sukhjit Singh is pictured here with his friend and a former army officer inside his Villa Buona Vista of Kapurthala
See also
*''
Prince, Patron and Patriarch''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Sukhjit
1934 births
Living people
Recipients of the Maha Vir Chakra
Indian Army officers
Indian Sikhs
The Doon School alumni
Indian Military Academy alumni
Maharajas of Kapurthala
20th-century Indian royalty
20th-century Indian military personnel