Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Joginder Singh Bakshi

MVC MVC may refer to: Science and technology * Maximum-value composite procedure, an imaging procedure * Multivariable calculus, a concept in mathematics * Multivariable control, a concept in process engineering * Mechanical vapor compression, a desal ...

, VSM (10 March 1928 – 19 August 2014) was a

General Officer A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

in the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

. He was decorated with the

Maha Vir Chakra The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) () is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the B ...

for his role in the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decem ...

Early life

Lieutenant General Joginder Singh Bakshi was born in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

, Undivided British India, on 10 March 1928, in a military family. He was the fifth generation of his family to join the Army.

Military career

Lieutenant General Joginder Singh Bakshi was commissioned into the Indian Army in the 5 JAT regiment, in June 1950. His unit was deployed in Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram from 1963 to 1971 in

Counter-insurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the activities of guerrillas or revolutionar ...

operations, during which time he developed expertise in counter-insurgency and

Jungle warfare Jungle warfare is a term used to cover the special techniques needed for military units to survive and fight in jungle terrain. It has been the topic of extensive study by military strategists, and was an important part of the planning for bo ...

. For outstanding work in Mizoram in counter-insurgency he was awarded the

Vishisht Seva Medal The Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) is a decoration of the Indian Armed Forces. It is awarded to recognize "distinguished service of a high order" to all ranks of the Indian Armed Forces. From 1980, the Yudh Seva Medal was introduced to recognize excep ...

in January 1971. While posted in the Eastern Command, he was also tasked to train the

Mukti Bahini The Mukti Bahini ( bn, মুক্তিবাহিনী, translates as 'freedom fighters', or liberation army), also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was the guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military, paramilitary ...

in overt and covert operations in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Thereafter, he raised and commanded the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) at Vairingte, Mizoram. CIJWS is considered one of the premier counter-insurgency training institutions in the world and attracts trainees from friendly countries around the world. When the

started, he held the rank of Brigadier and was commanding the 340 (I) Infantry Brigade in the Eastern sector. His brigade launched a number of attacks on well defended Pakistani positions, resulting in the capture of the city of

Bogra Bogra ( bn, বগুড়া), officially known as Bogura, is a major city located in Bogra District, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh. The city is a major commercial hub in Northern Bangladesh. It is the second largest city in Rajshahi Divi ...

. His offensive tactics enabled the capture of a large number of Pakistani troops, arms and equipment, including the commander of the 205 Brigade of the Pakistan Army. For his leadership and aggressive battle planning resulting in large military gains, he was awarded the

.
After the war, he was deputed to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

, to help that country setup their War College. He commanded the 25th Div as a Major General/ Upon his promotion to Lt. General he set up the 3rd Corp in the Eastern sector.

Post-retirement

Upon retirement on 31 March 1986, he chose to live in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

, dedicating his life to help aspiring officers for staff college examinations without charging any fees. He died on 19 July 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bakshi, Joginder Singh Indian generals Recipients of the Maha Vir Chakra 1928 births 2014 deaths Indian Sikhs Indian military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971