Jagjit Singh Aurora
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 | |
---|---|
Awards | Param Vishisht Seva Medal Padma Bhushan Bir Protik |
As the General commanding the Indian and Bangladesh Forces in the Eastern theater, Gen Aurora received the surrender from the Governor of East Pakistan and Commander of the Eastern Command of the Pakistan Army, Lt Gen A. A. K. Niazi.
After retirement from the Indian Army, he joined
Early life
Jagjit Singh Aurora was born to a
Army career
Aurora graduated from the
After
In May 1961, as BGS XXXIII Corps, Brigadier Aurora led a team of military officers and men sent by the Government of India on a reconnaissance mission to Bhutan. This later led to the establishment of the Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan.[9]
As a brigadier, he fought in the
On 6 June 1966, Aurora was appointed Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (DCOAS) with the acting rank of
East Pakistan
In March 1971, the
For the next nine months, with tensions escalating between India and Pakistan and anticipating possible hostilities, Aurora oversaw the logistical preparations of the Indian Army on the Eastern front, including the improvement of roads, communications and bridges, as well as the movement of 30,000 tons of supplies close to the border with East Pakistan.
At the outbreak of the
The
Later life
Aurora was honoured with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the Padma Bhushan and the Bir Protik[20] for his role in the war.[21] He retired from the Indian Army in 1973. Lt Gen JFR Jacob has written in his book An Odyssey in War And Peace that Gen. Aurora approached then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for governorship of a state but she declined.[22][page needed] Jacob also writes that Gen. and Mrs. Aurora were a regular part of the social life of Calcutta.[23]
In 1984, Aurora fiercely criticised the
Aurora was also an active member of the
Death
Jagjit Singh Aurora died on 3 May 2005, at age 89, in New Delhi.
The site of the Pakistani surrender, where Lt. Gen. Niazi signed the Instrument of Surrender with Lt. Gen. Aurora on 16 December 1971 has been converted into a national monument Swadhinata Stambha. The main attraction is the glass Stambha which is built on the precise location where the instrument of surrender was signed. The monument also includes an eternal flame, terracotta murals of martyrs and a body of water.
Dates of rank
Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
---|---|---|---|
Second Lieutenant | British Indian Army | 1 February 1939[3] | |
Lieutenant | British Indian Army | 30 January 1940[25] | |
Captain | British Indian Army | 22 February 1940 (acting)[3] 5 February 1941 (temporary)[3] 1 May 1942 (war-substantive)[3] 30 January 1946 (substantive)[3] | |
Major | British Indian Army | 1 February 1942 (acting)[3] 1 May 1942 (temporary)[3] | |
Captain | Indian Army | 15 August 1947[note 3][26] | |
Captain | Indian Army | 26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)[26] | |
Major | Indian Army | 26 February 1950 (temporary) 30 January 1951 (substantive)[1] | |
Lieutenant-Colonel |
Indian Army | 30 January 1952[27] | |
Colonel | Indian Army | 1 August 1958[28] | |
Brigadier | Indian Army | 3 February 1957 (acting)[8] 1962 (substantive) | |
Major General | Indian Army | 21 February 1963 (acting)[10] 20 June 1964 (substantive)[11] | |
Lieutenant-General |
Indian Army | 6 June 1966 (acting)[2] 4 August 1966 (substantive)[13] |
See also
Notes
- Gazette of India.
- ^ As given in the pre-Independence Indian Army List.
- Ashoka Lionreplaced the crown, with a five-pointed star being substituted for the "pip."
References
- ^ a b c "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 12 May 1951. p. 89.
- ^ a b c "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 16 July 1966. p. 413.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Indian Army List (Special Edition) 1947. Government of India Press. 1947. pp. 245–246.
- ^ "Homage to a Hero: Lt Gen J. S. Arora". Frontline. 17 June 2005. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- The Tribune (Chandigarh). Indo-Asian News Service. 4 May 2005. Archivedfrom the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ^ a b "Jagjit Singh Aurora, 89, Indian War Hero, Is Dead". The New York Times. 6 May 2005. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- ^ "Punjab Regiment: Colonels of the Regiment". Indian Army. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- ^ a b "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 30 March 1957. p. 76.
- ^ "Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT), Bhutan". 19 June 2009. Archived from the original on 19 June 2009.
- ^ a b "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 13 April 1963. p. 123.
- ^ a b "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 12 September 1964. p. 371.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 19 December 1964. p. 509.
- ^ a b "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 15 October 1966. p. 628.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 24 June 1967. p. 496.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 19 July 1969. p. 663.
- ISBN 978-984-8866-18-4.
- ^ a b "Obituary: Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora". The Guardian. 11 May 2005. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- ^ "Bangladesh honours Gen. Aurora". The Hindu. 22 May 2005. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- ^ Srinivasaraju, Sugata (21 December 2021). "The Bangladeshi liberation has lessons for India today". The Times of India. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ "Punjab Govt. to Confer Punjab 'Rattan Award'". SikhNet. 10 February 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ISBN 978-81-7436-933-8.
Aurora approached Mrs Indira Gandhi, seeking to be appointed a governor. She declined.
- ISBN 978-81-7436-933-8.
Aurora soon became part of the social circuit.
- ^ "1971 war hero Lt General J S Aurora dead". The Times of India. 3 May 2005. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- ^ Indian Army List October 1945 (Part I). Government of India Press. 1945. pp. 243–244.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 2 July 1955. p. 131.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 28 November 1959. p. 294.
External links
- Chat with Jagjit Singh Aurora Archived 26 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Rediff.com