A highly decorated war veteran of the 1971 India-Pakistan war, Colonel Panjab Singh died due to post Covid medical complications in Chandigarh on Monday. He was 79. His elder son Anil Kumar died a few days earlier due to corona.
Born on February 15, 1942, Colonel Singh was commissioned into the 6th Batallion of the Sikh Regiment on December 16, 1967. He went on to command the Battalion from October 12, 1986 to July 29, 1990. He was awarded Vir Chakra.
In the 1971 war, during Operation Cactus Lilly, 6 Sikh occupied 13 Kms of front on the heights above Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir covering two strategic points, the loss of which would have directly threatened Poonch. Singh, then a Major, was commanding a company deployed at Tund which had been actually limited to a platoon with the company headquarters, an Army statement said.
Enemy attacked the position with more than a Battalion on December 03, 1971, supported by artillery and mortar fire and came as close as few metres to the defences, the statement said.
“Colonel Singh with complete disregard for his safety, moved from trench to trench and ensured that all weapons under his command engaged the assaulting force till the attacking force retreated leaving behind their dead and weapons,” it stated. The enemy attacked the position nine times over two nights which were similarly foiled.
For this brave act he was awarded the third highest wartime gallantry award, Vir Chakra, on December 24, 1971. Post-retirement he was the Director of Sainik Welfare, Himachal Pradesh and was also the Vice President, Indian Ex Service League, Himachal Pradesh of Southern area.
He is survived by his wife Vidya Devi, daughter Usha, son Ajay Kumar and their families. The present commander of the Army’s 15 Corps in Kashmir, Lt General DP Pandey, is Colonel Singh’s son-in-law.