Page 294 - Leadership in the Indian Army

It was a bold decision, fraught with risk, and if he had failed, the
responsibility would have been entirely his. However, battles are not won
by those with weak hearts, as military history has proved time and again.

Every military operation is a gamble, and the stakes are invariably high.
Sagat was one of those who played for the jackpot, and won.
After the war, B.B. Lal, who was the Defence Secretary, told Sagat an
interesting story. On 10 December 1971 at 1300 hrs, there was a meeting
being held in South Block, chaired by Sardar Swaran Singh, the Minister
for External Affairs. Attending the meeting were the Defence, Home and
Foreign Secretaries, the IB Director and the Principal Secretary to the Prime

Minister. The meeting had just commenced when the message arrived that
Sagat had crossed the Meghna. Defence Minister Babu Jagjiwan Ram
rushed in soon afterwards, while Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s principal
private secretary ran to her office to inform her of this. Soon afterwards,
according to Lal, Indira Gandhi was seen running down the corridor, her
hair and saree flying. They were all surprised to see the Prime Minister

bubbling with joy, and for him, this was the most unforgettable moment of
the 1971 war. This was also the one day that Sam Manekshaw could not
take credit for having ordered the operation, quipped Lal.
Sagat’s contribution to the liberation of Bangladesh was recognised by the
award of a Padma Bhushan, a non-gallantry award that is usually given to
civilians. (The three awards in the Padma series are the Padma Vibhushan,
which ranks just below the Bharat Ratna, the highest in the land; the Padma

Bhushan; and the Padma Shri.) The majority of awardees are artists,
writers, scientists, bureaucrats and politicians. Soldiers are rarely given the
award, and when they are, it is for their contribution in non-military fields.
Thimayya was awarded the Padma Bhushan and Thorat the Padma Shri for
their performance in United Nations assignments in Korea. Sagat’s sterling
performance in 1971 was in military operations against the enemy and a

gallantry award would have been more appropriate. Perhaps the military
hierarchy did not recommend him for one, and as a compromise, the
political leadership decided to compensate him with a civilian award, since
he had already been awarded the PVSM just two years earlier. It was
ironical that the most successful Corps Commander in the 1971 war had to
be content with a civilian award, while several others, whose performance
was much below par, were decorated for gallantry and became war heroes.