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 ...
Khem Karan Singh
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 ...
(March 5, 1921 – July 26, 2016) 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 awarded
Padma Bhushan for his services to the nation during the
1971 war
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 Decemb ...
.
He also received
Maha Vir Chakra for his services during
1965 Indo-Pakistan war.
Early life and education
He was born in 1919 in
Rohtak district in
Haryana
Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...
. A third generation Cavalry Officer, his grandfather
Risaldar Major Ram Singh and father Honorary Major Bharat Singh has served in the
14th Murray's Jat Lancers
The 14th Murray's Jat Lancers, also sometimes known as the Murray's Jat Horse, was a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army.
The regiment was first raised at Aligarh as an irregular cavalry unit in 1857 as the Jat Horse Yeomanry, for the Eas ...
(which later became
20th Lancers). Singh attended the
St. Stephen's College, Delhi
St. Stephen's College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi, widely regarded as one of the oldest and most prestigious colleges for arts and sciences in India. It was established in 1881 by the Cambridge Mission to Delhi. The college ...
.
Military career
Singh was commissioned into the
16th Light Cavalry
The 16th Light Cavalry is a regiment of the Armoured Corps, a primary combat arm of the Indian Army. Prior to India gaining independence from the British in 1947, it was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1776 ...
in 1941, which he later commanded. In the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...
, Singh commanded the 1 Armoured Brigade and was awarded the
Maha Vir Chakra.
Maha Vir Chakra
The citation for the
Maha Vir Chakra reads as follows:
After the war, Singh was promoted to the rank of
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
and commanded a division and served as the
Chief of Staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
of the
Western Command. He then took over the important appointment of Director of Military Operations (DMO) at Army HQ under the
Chief of the Army Staff General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Sam Manekshaw
Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw (3 April 1914 – 27 June 2008), widely known as Sam Manekshaw and Sam Bahadur ("Sam the Brave"), was the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of ...
. In October 1971, just before the outbreak of the war, Singh was sent to command
I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to:
France
* 1st Army Corps (France)
* I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Arm ...
, then the only Strike Corps of the Indian Army. For his meritorious service, Singh was awarded the third highest civilian award - the
Padma Bhushan.
In November 1973, Singh was promoted to Army Commander grade and took over as the 5th
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C)
Central Command.
After a two-year stint as GOC-in-C Central Command, Singh retired in 1975.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Khem Karan
Indian generals
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in civil service
Generals of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Recipients of the Maha Vir Chakra
People from Rohtak district
1921 births
2016 deaths