Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya Wiki, Age, Death, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Hoshiyar Singh Dahiya

• Major (later Colonel) Hoshiar Singh Dahiya was a commissioned officer in the Indian Army who participated in the Battle of Basantar during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War. Colonel Dahiya was awarded the prestigious Param Vir Chakra, the nation’s highest gallantry award. He died on 6 December 1998 due to a cardiac arrest.
  

  General SHFJ Sam Manekshaw with Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya in 1972 after receiving the Param Vir Chakra

• During his school days, Hoshiar Singh was really good at academics. He even stood first during his class 10th examinations.

• Hoshiar Singh Dahiya initially joined the Indian Army as a Sepoy. He was enrolled in the 2nd Battalion of the Jat Regiment. ^[4]The Tribune

• Hoshiyar Singh Dahiya was later on selected for the Army Cadet College, a wing of the Indian Military Academy, from where he passed out on 30 June 1963 as a Second Lieutenant.

• Hoshiar Singh was commissioned in the 3rd Grenadiers, which was deployed at North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) along the Chinese border.

• During the 1965 India-Pakistan War, Lieutenant Dahiya was deployed at the Western Sector, along with his unit. He had his name mentioned in dispatches because he collected a vital piece of information about the Pakistani movement at Bikaner, Rajasthan. ^[5]The Gazette of India – 1966 Published

• In her book, The Brave: Param Vir Chakra Stories, author Rachna Bisht Rawat wrote,
  

  Lt Hoshiar Singh was sent out for a reconnaissance mission where, on his own initiative, he went dressed as a local riding a camel. He mingled with the Pakistanis and boldly went behind enemy lines, coming back with crucial information about their placement and location. Based on this adventurous outing on 5 October 1965, he briefed the CO in great detail, disclosing the exact enemy position, for which he got a mention in the dispatches.”

• The information gathered by him proved vital in stopping the enemy’s advances; forcing them to retreat.

• During the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, Hoshiar Singh Dahiya, who by now had become a Major, was moved to the western front once again to face the threat posed by the Pakistani forces.

• Hoshiar Singh Dahiya was the Company Commander of the Charlie Company and his company was asked to capture Jarpal, a place situated in the Shakargarh Sector in the Punjab province of Pakistan.

• The Indian Army’s attack to capture the area commenced on the night of 15 December 1971, but it was very difficult to capture the area as it was very heavily defended by the Pakistani forces.

• The area was well covered and heavily fortified by the enemy troops. Their machine guns opened up the fire, as they saw Indian troops approaching their positions.

• Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya engaged the enemy in a close quarter battle. His priorities were to disable the enemy’s machine-gun posts so that the casualties being inflicted upon the Indian troops can be brought down. ^[6]The War Decorated India & Trust

• Major Hoshiar Singh and his company managed to capture the Jarpal from the enemy’s hands, on 15 December 1971 itself. The enemy was dislodged and was forced to retreat.

• Major Dahiya and his men secured the area and dug in deep, in order to repulse any attempts of the enemy to retake the lost position.

• As anticipated by Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya; the Pakistani 35 Frontier Force launched counterattacks upon the Charlie Company on 16 December 1971. In totality, there were 3 counterattacks initiated by the Pakistani forces.

• During the Pakistani counter-offensives, Major Dahiya was moving in between trenches, motivating his troops and organizing the defences. He was injured severely when an artillery shell exploded near him, wounding him in his leg, yet continued to defend his position.

• The Pakistani forces were backed by massive artillery and armoured support.

• An enemy shell landed right next to the Charlie Company’s medium machine gun post. Major Hoshiar Singh immediately rushed to the wounded machine-gun crew and took over the machine-gun in order to provide effective firing.

• By the end of the third counter-offensive of the Pakistani Army, the Pakistani Army had lost 89 troops of their 35 Frontier Force, which also included their Commanding Officer and three other officers. ^[7]The Print

• Rachna Bisht Rawat stated in her book,
  

  The firing is called off only after all enemy activity has ceased. As many as 42 Pakistani soldiers are taken POW. When a final count is done in the daylight, 89 of the enemy are lying dead in front of the C Company trenches. Col Cheema remembers how Captain Bhatt, the adjutant of Pakistan’s 35 FF, had told him: There are 350 lying dead and wounded with us, and now we will have to re-raise 35 FF.”

• Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya was also posted as an instructor in the Indian Military Academy. As a Company Commander of Sinhgarh Company at IMA, his company would go on to be overall champions six times straight. ^[8]The Tribune India
  

  Colonel Hoshiar Singh Dahiya, Param Vir Chakra

• Hoshiar Singh Dahiya was also a very good sports player. He was selected to play volleyball by the state of Punjab. As a sepoy in the 2nd Battalion of the Jat Regiment, he was a part of the unit’s volleyball team. His teammates used to affectionately call him “Hoshiare”. ^[9]The Tribune India

• Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya was well known among his men for not wearing a combat helmet while fighting the enemy. ^[10]The Brave: Param Vir Chakra Stories by Rachna Bisht Rawat

• Many prominent personalities have shown their respect to the family of Colonel Hoshiar Singh Dahiya.
  

  Defence Minister Rajnath Singh touches the feet of 1971 war hero Colonel Hoshiyar Singh Dahiya’s wife, Mrs Dhano Devi