Zorawar Chand Bakhshi

Lieutenant General Zorawar Chand 'Zoru' Bakshi[2] PVSM, MVC, VrC, VSM[3] (21 October 1921[4] or 2 January 1921[5][note 1] – 24 May 2018) was a General Officer of the Indian Army, most widely known as one of the commanders of Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 (Operation Ablaze). He also has the distinction of being "India's most decorated General".[6][7]

Lieutenant general

Z C Bakshi

PVSM, MVC, VrC, VSM
Birth nameZorawar Chand Bakshi
Nickname(s)Zoru
Born(1921-10-21)21 October 1921
(or (1921-01-02)2 January 1921)
Gulyana, Punjab, British India
Died24 May 2018 (aged 96-97)
Allegiance British India
 India
Service/branch British Indian Army
 Indian Army
Years of service1943—1979
Rank Lieutenant General
Service numberIC-1510[1]
Unit5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force)
10th Baluch Regiment
Commands heldII Corps
26 Infantry Division
8 Mountain Division
68 Infantry Brigade
2/5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force)
Battles/warsWorld War II
Indo-Pakistan War of 1965
Indo-Pakistan War of 1971
Awards Param Vishisht Seva Medal
Maha Vir Chakra
Vir Chakra
Vishisht Seva Medal
MacGregor Medal

Family and early life

Bakshi was born to Bahadur Bakshi Lal Chand Lav (Lau Mohyal Husseni Brahmin), a decorated soldier in the British Indian Army who held the OBI.[8] He was born in Gulyana in the Rawalpindi District of the Punjab Province of British India into a Mohyal Brahmin family.[9][10] As with many other non-muslims of that region, his family had to shift to the newly-created Dominion of India after the Partition of India for being Hindu. Prior to the partition, he graduated from Rawalpindi's Gordon College in 1942 after which he joined the Indian Military Academy in Dera Doon.[11]

Military career

World War II

Bakshi was commissioned into the Baloch Regiment of the British Indian Army in 1943. Later he also did a course at Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS), UK.[12] His first major battle was against the Japanese in Burma in World War II, where he earned a Mention in Despatches for overcoming a heavily fortified Japanese position. After the liberation of Burma, he participated in the operations to liberate Malaysia from Japanese control, earning a fast-track promotion to the rank of a Major for his role.

Post-Independence

Upon the Partition of India in 1947, Bakshi was transferred to the 5th Gorkha Rifles regiment of the Indian Army.[6] In the Indo Pakistani War of 1947-1948, he was awarded a Vir Chakra for his bravery in July 1948.[12][13] Soon afterward he was awarded the MacGregor Medal in 1949. In 1951, he was selected to attend the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington.[14]

In the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Bakshi was instrumental in the capture of the Haji Pir Pass from the Pakistani Forces, for which he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. The citation for the Maha Vir Chakra reads as follows:[15][16]

Gazette Notification: 9 Pres/66,1-1-66

Operation: 1965 May - Ablaze Date of Award: 05 Aug 1965

CITATION

BRIGADIER ZORAWAR CHAND BAKSHI, VrC (IC-1510)

5th BATTALION THE GORKHA RIFLES

Brigadier Zorawar Chand Bakshi was commander of a brigade in Aug-Sept 1965 employed on the difficult task of capturing Basali, Haji Pir Pass and Kahuta, which was vital for the Uri-Poonch link-up. The road connecting Uri and Poonch via Haji Pir had deteriorated due to disuse and some places it had disintegrated. There was no direct route for an approach to Haji Pir except over the mountain ranges. Haji Pir at an altitude of 9,000 feet had strong enemy defensive positions forward of it and flanking it.

Throughout, Brigadier Bakshi remained foremost. As soon as an objective was captured, he was there personally to guide and help in the reorganisation. Many a time, though enemy shelling was intense and continuous, he remained in the forefront without regard for his personal safety. After the capture of Haji Pir, he moved forward his tactical headquarters immediately, though he knew that the enemy would most certainly counter-attack it viciously.

Throughout this operation, Brigadier Bakshi displayed a high standard of planning and tactical skill, combined with outstanding leadership, determination and camaraderie in sharing the hardships of his troops, which were in the highest traditions of our Army.

In the early 1960s he led his battalion in a United Nations Operation to undo the secession of the province of Katanga from Congo, in the process earning a Vishisht Seva Medal.[2][17] In 1969–1970, he led successful counter-insurgency operations in pockets of North East India, and was promoted to major-general on 23 November 1970.[18] During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 he was instrumental in the capture of territory in what is now referred to as the crucial Chicken-Neck Sector, for which he was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal. On 7 September 1974, he was appointed Military Secretary with the rank of lieutenant-general.[19][20] On 15 December 1976, he was granted an extension of service past his statutory retirement age to 1 January 1979.[21]

He is popularly known as "Zoru" in the Indian Army.[7]

Military awards and aecorations
Param Vishisht Seva Medal Maha Vir Chakra Vir Chakra Vishisht Seva Medal
General Service Medal Medal Samar Seva Star Paschimi Star Raksha Medal
Sangram Medal Sainya Seva Medal Videsh Seva Medal Indian Independence Medal
25th Anniversary of Independence Medal 20 Years Long Service Medal 9 Years Long Service Medal India Service Medal
1939–1945 Star Burma Star War Medal 1939–1945 UN Operation in the Congo

Dates of rank
InsigniaRankComponentDate of rank
Second LieutenantBritish Indian Army27 June 1943 (emergency)[5]
27 December 1944 (substantive)[5]
LieutenantBritish Indian Army27 December 1943 (war-substantive)[5]
3 March 1947 (substantive)[5]
LieutenantIndian Army15 August 1947[note 2][22]
MajorIndian Army1947 (temporary)[23][note 2][22]
CaptainIndian Army27 June 1949[23][note 2]
CaptainIndian Army26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)[22][24]
MajorIndian Army27 June 1956[25]
Lieutenant-ColonelIndian Army
ColonelIndian Army16 February 1967[1]
BrigadierIndian Army15 May 1968[26]
Major GeneralIndian Army23 November 1970[18]
Lieutenant-GeneralIndian Army7 September 1974[20]

See also

References
  1. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 22 July 1967. p. 558.
  2. Pratik, Pawan. "Indo-Pakistani War of 1965: Golden Jubilee Commemoration". Official Website of Indian Army. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  3. Ian Cardozo (2005). The Indian Army: A Brief History. Centre for Armed Forces Historical Research, United Service Institution of India. ISBN 978-81-902097-0-0.
  4. "Lt Gen Zorawar Chand Bakshi, PVSM, MVC, VrC, VSM (retd)". The War Decorated India & Trust. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  5. Indian Army List (Special Edition) 1947. Government of India Press. 1947. pp. 269K1.
  6. V K Singh (2005). Leadership in the Indian Army: Biographies of Twelve Soldiers. SAGE Publications. p. 329. ISBN 978-0-7619-3322-9.
  7. Kai Friese (10 July 2014). "The Mask of Zoru". GQIndia magazine. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  8. Sethi, Chitleen K. (28 May 2018). "Lt. Gen Zorawar Chand Bakshi, the greatest wartime hero who 'just faded away'". ThePrint. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  9. B. Chakravorty (1995). Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners. Allied Publishers. pp. 102–103. ISBN 978-81-7023-516-3.
  10. Mohan, Vijay (24 May 2018). "India's highest decorated general Zorawar Chand Bakshi passes away at 97". The Tribune. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  11. Singh, V. K. (23 March 2005). "Chapter 10". Leadership in the Indian Army: Biographies of Twelve Soldiers. SAGE Publications. ISBN 9780761933229.
  12. The Army Quarterly and Defence Journal. West of England Press. 1983. p. 175.
  13. Sri Nandan Prasad; Dharm Pal (1987). Operations in Jammu & Kashmir, 1947-48. History Division, Ministry of Defence, Government of India. p. 398.
  14. "STAFF COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION RESULTS" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 25 May 1951.
  15. "ZORAWAR CHAND BAKSHI, VrC, VSM | Gallantry Awards". gallantryawards.gov.in.
  16. "Mahavir Chakra (MVC), Awardee: Lt Gen Zorawar Chand Bakshi, PVSM, MVC, VrC, VSM (retd) @ TWDI". twdi.in.
  17. Rachna Bisht (2015). 1965: Stories from the Second Indo-Pakistan War. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 17–18. ISBN 978-93-5214-129-6.
  18. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 12 June 1971. p. 686.
  19. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 14 December 1974. p. 1385.
  20. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 15 March 1975. p. 353.
  21. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 21 May 1977. p. 596.
  22. "New Designs of Crests and Badges in the Services" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 August 2017.
  23. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 27 August 1949. p. 1278.
  24. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 11 February 1950. p. 227.
  25. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 6 April 1957. p. 87.
  26. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 24 August 1968. p. 750.

Notes
  1. As given in the pre-Independence Indian Army List.
  2. Upon independence in 1947, India became a Dominion within the British Commonwealth of Nations. As a result, the rank insignia of the British Army, incorporating the Tudor Crown and four-pointed Bath Star ("pip"), was retained, as George VI remained Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces. After 26 January 1950, when India became a republic, the President of India became Commander-in-Chief, and the Ashoka Lion replaced the crown, with a five-pointed star being substituted for the "pip."
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