Lt. General Sagat’s life is the stuff of legends. He was not just known as a creator of Bangladesh or the liberator of Goa from the Portuguese but also as a soldier who had a ‘talent for war’. Whether it is about his victory on Bangladesh or his capture of the Nathula Pass, the stories of his feats never fail to inspire bravery and awe in anyone who happens to listen to them.
Gen Sagat (then a second lieutenant) was posted in in Iran with his regiment. One day, a Russian officer suddenly jumped into the jeep which was to carry his commanding officer and sat in the front seat. Sagat told him that if he wanted to travel in the jeep he will have to sit at the back since the jeep was designated for his commanding officer. The Russian refused. Sagat caught hold of the Russian officer by the collar of his shirt and the seat of his trousers and pulled him out of the jeep and dumped him in the rear of the jeep.
India’s war with Pakistan in 1971 changed history once and for all. But had it not been for Lt. General Sagat Singh timely capture of Dhaka , India would have perhaps been sandwiched between East and West Pakistan. Hence it was only fitting that a biography titled ‘Sagat’ which talks about the life and times of this stalwart (authored by Major Chandrakanth, Vir Chakra, (retired)), was released on the Vijay Diwas by Lt. General Dhiraj Seth, (AVSM), Army Commander, Sapta Shakti Command.
Major Chandrakanth has served with General Sagat during the war of 1971 and in various other postings and hence he has been a witness to many of his achievements and his feats during the course of his professional life. His book talks not only about the professional achievements and the victories of General Sagat but it also gives the reader an insight into the kind of man he was. Some excerpts from a short tete-e-tat during the sidelines of the event with the author himself:
What do you like the most about General Sagat’s personality?
MC: I think he was a very fearless man. If he felt that something was to be done to make things better, he would never shy away from it. Some incidents would illustrate this point. In the first incident which happened during the second world, Gen Sagat (then a second lieutenant) was posted in in Iran with his regiment. One day, a Russian officer suddenly jumped into the jeep which was to carry his commanding officer and sat in the front seat. Sagat told him that if he wanted to travel in the jeep he will have to sit at the back since the jeep was designated for his commanding officer. The Russian refused. Sagat caught hold of the Russian officer by the collar of his shirt and the seat of his trousers and pulled him out of the jeep and dumped him in the rear of the jeep.
The second incident that comes to my mind happened in 1967, during the face off with the Chinese in Nathula when he was ordered to withdraw and was being pressurised by his senior commanders to withdraw from Nathula. He did not want to withdraw and give Chinese the advantage of capturing Nathula. So he cut off his communication link, switched off all his telephone lines and the wireless so that his senior officers could not connect. He then went ahead and took on the Chinese and rest as we know is history. Again, at Nathula in the initial stages, when the Indian troupes were taken by surprise by the Chinese and started withdrawing from the pass, Sagat as the divisional commander went right to the front and pulled out his sten gun and threatened to shoot anyone (from his own troops) who withdrew from the post at Nathula.
How was he as a commanding officer?
MC: Sagat was a man who valued lives and victory equally. In 1969 or 1970, he had decided that he would cross the border and carry out the surgical strike in East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh) where the Mizo insurgents were hiding. I was ordered to carry out a reconnaissance. He briefed me and said, ‘you go ahead. You know what must be done but make sure that we suffer no causalities because all our lives are precious to us.’ For him, every one of his men were indispensable.
Though he came from a humble background and was enrolled in the army as a sepoy, he had high aspirations. So, though he could not get much education in his school days, he made up for it during his days in the army. My commanding officer, then Lt. Col and later Lt. Gen Himmat Singh says of Sagat that whenever he saw Sagat in the military school in MHOW, he used to find Sagat in the library. He was perhaps the best-read person in the army on military history and not only on the Indian military history but also of the world particularly the Greek history.
How was he with his senior and junior officers?
MC: Once he ordered Group Captain Chandan Singh to take the surrender of the Pakistani soldiers because the intelligence reports said that the Pakistani army was ready to surrender in East Pakistan. However, when Chandan Singh flew there, he was met with machine gun fire and his helicopter received 19 hits. Chandan Singh came back and reported to Sagat that the enemy was not willing to surrender. All that Sagat then said to him was, ‘be prepared to do a helicopter landing so that we force the Pakistanis to surrender.’ He did not offer any words of sympathy for the 19 bullet holes his helicopter had received. The second day, General Aurora, Sagat’s senior officer came to visit Sagat Singh. Sagat told him that he was planning to cross the Meghna river and proceed to Dhaka, Gen Aurora told him that was the not the charter of duties and he was not to cross the river and proceed. He was to confine himself to the eastern bank of Meghna. Sagat asked him what his problem was since he had already done what General Arora had asked him to do and he would now despite Gen Arora’s words will proceed and deliver Dhaka to him. On 13th of December, when Sagat’s troupes had entered the suburbs of Dhaka, he received a message directly from General Manekshaw via the eastern command asking the India troops to withdraw from Dhaka and return to the areas which they had been assigned on the eastern bank of Meghna. Sagat replied, ‘over my dead body. I am already in Dhaka and I will not withdraw.’
Sagat was not a man who would sit in the board room and simply give orders. Every day he would fly over his entire area in an Allouette helicopter of the Air Force (subsequently, he started using an Air OP flight helicopter piloted by Maj, later Lt Gen, GS Sihota). He would take flight at the crack of dawn, mostly as per an itinerary chalked out late the previous night. He would visit the formations, sometimes flying ahead of the forward troops, and land amongst them, constantly encouraging them while giving them critical information of the enemy. There were times when he would change focus seeing the progress of the offensive. He would land back at the Corps HQ, sometimes after last light, and then after a quick wash, would head for the Operations Room. Thereafter, he and the senior staff would go to the A Mess, where he would issue orders for the next day, setting his staff in a tizzy. At times, the complete plan would change.
What was his life after retirement?
MC: After retirement he decided to settle down in Jaipur and he built a modest house here. He had a big family to support which included his wife and four sons. His last years weren’t very happy. Three of his sons died early. Digvijay who was his blue-eyed boy and into the 2nd battalion the 3rd Gorkha Rifles (2/3 GR), the battalion his father had commanded. Unfortunately, he died an untimely death while serving with the battalion in Poonch as a captain on 4 March 1976, when the jeep in which he was travelling met with an accident.. His third son Vir Vijay died in a scooter accident in Delhi just eight months before that of his elder brother. Another son died due to prolonged illness. His wife predeceased him by a few years. But despite all these personal tragedies he did not lose his zest for life.
This article by Shailaza Singh was published in Rashtradoot Newspaper’s Arbit Section on December 27, 2023
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