Brigadier decorated for Lanka ops dies

Chandigarh, January 11

Brig Manjit Singh (retd), who was decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra, the second highest award for gallantry, for his role during the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) mission in Sri Lanka in 1987, has passed away. He was 78.

During Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka in the late 1980s, he commanded the Army’s 41 Brigade that was among the formations tasked to capture Jaffna from the control of the LTTE in October 1987, an operation that had seen intense fighting and heavy casualties.

Within hours of assuming command of an Infantry Brigade in Sri Lanka as part of the IPKF, Brigadier Manjit Singh was tasked to establish a link-up with Jaffna Fort, along Western Pincer in the face of all-out efforts by the militants to thwart their advance, the citation for his award states.

“Brigadier Manjit Singh himself assumed charge of the leading elements. With just two companies of Rajput Rifles, he broke through the desperate cordon of the militants, and successfully established a link-up with para commandos operating from Jaffna Fort. His leadership and demonstration of personal valour in the face of grave danger so motivated his command, that the whole Brigade was suddenly filled with elan and moved purposefully forward,” the citation adds.

Brig Manjit Singh hailed from Hoshiarpur district and studied at the Khalsa College, Amritsar. He belonged to 11 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles and after hanging up his boots, settled in Mohali. — TNS