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
Nickname(s)	Zoru
Born	(1921-10-21)21 October 1921 (or (1921-01-02)2 January 1921) Gulyana, Punjab, British India
Died	24 May 2018 (aged 96-97)
Allegiance	British India  India
Service/branch	British Indian Army  Indian Army
Years of service	1943—1979
Rank	Lieutenant General
Service number	IC-1510[1]
Unit	5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force) 10th Baluch Regiment
Commands held	II Corps 26 Infantry Division 8 Mountain Division 68 Infantry Brigade 2/5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force)
Battles/wars	World 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

Family and early life

Bakshi's father, Bahadur Bakshi Lal Chand Lau was a decorated soldier in the British Indian Army and held the OBI.[8] His family belonged to the village of Gulyana, Tehsil Gujarkhan Rawalpindi District.[9] As with many other non-Muslims of that region, his family had to shift to India after the partition of india into Pakistan. Prior to the partition, he graduated from Rawalpindi's Gordon College in 1942 after which he joined the Indian Military Academy.[10]

Military career

World War II

He was commissioned into the Baloch Regiment of the Indian Army in 1943. Later he also did a course at Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS), UK.[11] 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, he 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.[11][12] Soon afterward he was awarded the MacGregor Medal in 1949. In 1951, he was selected to attend the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington.[13]

In the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, he 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:[14][15]

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][16] 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.[17] 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.[18][19] On 15 December 1976, he was granted an extension of service past his statutory retirement age to 1 January 1979.[20]

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

Military Awards and Decorations

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

Insignia	Rank	Component	Date of rank
	Second Lieutenant	British Indian Army	27 June 1943 (emergency)[5] 27 December 1944 (substantive)[5]
	Lieutenant	British Indian Army	27 December 1943 (war-substantive)[5] 3 March 1947 (substantive)[5]
	Lieutenant	Indian Army	15 August 1947[note 2][21]
	Major	Indian Army	1947 (temporary)[22][note 2][21]
	Captain	Indian Army	27 June 1949[22][note 2]
	Captain	Indian Army	26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)[21][23]
	Major	Indian Army	27 June 1956[24]
	Lieutenant-Colonel	Indian Army
	Colonel	Indian Army	16 February 1967[25]
	Brigadier	Indian Army	15 May 1968[26]
	Major General	Indian Army	23 November 1970[17]
	Lieutenant-General	Indian Army	7 September 1974[19]

See also

• Operation Gibraltar

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. pp. 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. Singh, V. K. (23 March 2005). "Chapter 10". Leadership in the Indian Army: Biographies of Twelve Soldiers. SAGE Publications. ISBN 9780761933229.
11. The Army Quarterly and Defence Journal. West of England Press. 1983. p. 175.
12. Sri Nandan Prasad; Dharm Pal (1987). Operations in Jammu & Kashmir, 1947-48. History Division, Ministry of Defence, Government of India. p. 398.
13. "STAFF COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION RESULTS" (PDF). pibarchive.nic.in. 25 May 1951.
14. "ZORAWAR CHAND BAKSHI, VrC, VSM | Gallantry Awards". gallantryawards.gov.in.
15. "Mahavir Chakra (MVC), Awardee: Lt Gen Zorawar Chand Bakshi, PVSM, MVC, VrC, VSM (retd) @ TWDI". twdi.in.
16. Rachna Bisht (2015). 1965: Stories from the Second Indo-Pakistan War. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 17–18. ISBN 978-93-5214-129-6.
17. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 12 June 1971. p. 686.
18. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 14 December 1974. p. 1385.
19. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 15 March 1975. p. 353.
20. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 21 May 1977. p. 596.
21. "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.
22. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 27 August 1949. p. 1278.
23. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 11 February 1950. p. 227.
24. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 6 April 1957. p. 87.
25. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 22 July 1967. p. 558.
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."

External links

• Article referring to Bakshi's role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war