Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

Kuldip Singh Chandpuri MVC, VSM (22 November 1940 – 17 November 2018) was a decorated

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- ...

officer. He is known for his leadership in the

Battle of Longewala The Battle of Longewala (4–7 December 1971) was one of the first major engagements in the western sector during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, fought between assaulting Pakistani forces and Indian defenders at the Indian border post of Longe ...

during 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 ...

, for which he was awarded 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 ...

, the second highest Indian military decoration, by the Indian government. The 1997 Hindi film

Border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

was based on the

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, with his role played by Sunny Deol. He was a councillor in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation from 2006 to 2011.

Early life

Kuldip Singh Chandpuri was born on 22 November 1940 in Sikh family in Montgomery,

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

(now in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

). His family then moved to their native village, Chandpur Rurki, in

Balachaur Balachaur is a town in Balachaur Tehsil in the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar District of Punjab, India. History Raja Raj Dev, a Rajput, came to Balachaur along with his family to meditate. He was related to the family of the King of Jaipur. He so ...

. He was an active member of the NCC and cleared the NCC examination when he graduated from the Government College,

Hoshiarpur Hoshiarpur () is a city and a municipal corporation in Hoshiarpur district in the Doaba region of the Indian state of Punjab. It was founded, according to tradition, during the early part of the fourteenth century. In 1809, it was occupied b ...

in 1962. Chandpuri was the third generation in his family who have served in the Indian Army as officers. Both his younger uncles were flying officers in the Indian Air Force. Chandpuri was the only child of his parents.

Career

In 1963, Chandpuri was commissioned from the Officers Training Academy,

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

into the 3rd battalion,

Punjab Regiment Punjab Regiment may refer to the following existing units: *Punjab Regiment (India) *Punjab Regiment (Pakistan) From 1922 to 1947, the British Indian Army included 6 numbered Punjab Regiments: *1st Punjab Regiment * 2nd Punjab Regiment *8th Punj ...

(3rd Punjab), which is one of the oldest and one of the most highly decorated regiments of the Indian Army. He took part in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 in the western sector. After the war, he served in the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) in Gaza (Egypt) for a year. He also served twice as an instructor at the prestigious Infantry School in

Mhow Mhow, officially Dr. Ambedkar Nagar, is a town in the Indore district in Madhya Pradesh state of India. It is located south-west of Indore city, towards Mumbai on the old Mumbai-Agra Road. The town was renamed as ''Dr. Ambedkar Nagar'' in 20 ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

Battle of Longewala

Kuldip Singh Chandpuri was a major in 23 Punjab when the Pakistan Army attacked the

Longewala Longewala is a border town in the Thar Desert in the western part of Jaisalmer district, in the state of Rajasthan, India. See also * List of military disasters * Battle of Longewala The Battle of Longewala (4–7 December 1971) was one ...

post in

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

, India, early in the

. Chandpuri and his company of 120 soldiers defended the post, in spite of considerable odds, against the 2000-3000 strong assault force of the Pakistani 51st Infantry Brigade, backed by the 22nd Armored Regiment. Chandpuri and his company held the Pakistanis at bay for a full night until the Indian Air Force arrived to provide air support in the morning. Chandpuri inspired his men, moving from bunker to bunker, encouraging them to beat back the enemy until reinforcements arrived. Chandpuri and his men inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy and forced them to retreat, leaving behind twelve tanks. For his conspicuous gallantry and leadership, Chandpuri was awarded the

(MVC) by the government of India. Chandpuri retired from the army as a brigadier.

Maha Vir Chakra Citation

The citation for Chandpuri's

award reads as follows:

In popular culture

* ''

'', a 1997 Hindi film directed by J.P.Dutta was an adaptation of the real-life battle, with Major Chandpuri being portrayed by Hindi film actor Sunny Deol.

Death

On 17 November 2018, Chandpuri died at the

Fortis Hospital Fortis Healthcare Limited (FHL) is an Indian multinational chain of private hospitals headquartered in India. Fortis started its health care operations from Mohali, Punjab, where the first Fortis hospital was started. Later on, the hospital ...

, Mohali due to cancer, at the age of 77, five days before his 78th birthday. He was survived by three sons.

Military Awards and Decorations

Dates of rank

References

External links

Picture, Kuldip Singh Chandpuri (3rd from left) with his company

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandpuri, Kuldip Singh 1940 births 2018 deaths Military leaders of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Punjabi people Indian Sikhs Sikh warriors Indian Army officers Military personnel from Punjab, India Recipients of the Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Maha Vir Chakra People from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district