View source for Hoshiar Singh (Brigadier)

{{Short description|Indian army officer (died 1962)}}
{{notability|Biography|date=September 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix  = Brigadier
| name              = Hoshiar Singh
| honorific_suffix  =
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| birth_date    = <!-- {{Birth date|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| death_date    = <!-- {{Death date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| birth_place   = Village [[Sankhol]], [[Bahadurgarh]], [[Haryana]]
| death_place   = [[Sela Pass]]
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| allegiance    = {{IND}}
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| rank          = Brigadier
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| battles       = 1962 [[Sino-Indian War]]
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[[Brigadier]] '''Hoshiar Singh''' [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]], [[Croix de Guerre]],{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} [[Indian Order of Merit|IOM]], [[Vishisht Seva Medal|VSM]] was the commander of the Indian 62 Brigade stationed at [[Sela Pass]]. Brigadier Singh was [[killed in action]], along with a few Indian troops during the 1962 [[Sino-Indian War]]. Brigadier Hoshiar Singh was commended for his bravery in the war.
==Early life and career==
He was born in a [[Jat]] family in Village [[Sankhol]], [[Bahadurgarh]], [[Haryana]]. The Bahadurgarh City Park metro station has been renamed in his honour to Brigadier Hoshiyar Singh metro station, as announced by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, in Sept 2018. He was promoted colonel on 5 July 1962.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=396  |date=23 November 1963 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref>
==Details of the battle ==
During the [[Sino-Indian War]] in 1962, Hoshiar Singh was in charge of the defence of [[Sela Pass]] of this region with a brigade of Indian Army consisting of soldiers from battalions of various regiments, including [[Sikh Regiment|1 SIKH]], [[Sikh Light Infantry|2 Sikh LI]], [[Sikh Light Infantry|4 Sikh LI]] and also soldiers from [[Garhwal Rifles]].<ref name=IDF>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indiandefencereview.com/spotlights/1962-war-the-chinese-invasion-iii/|title = 1962 War: The Chinese invasion - III}}</ref>
==Death==
Singh was [[killed in action]] fighting for the [[Indian Army]] in the [[North-East Frontier Agency|NEFA]] region in 1962 when his party was ambushed by invading Chinese soldiers while commanding the defence of the [[Sela Pass]].<ref name=IDF/>
By the afternoon of 23 November 1962 ( 2 days after ceasefire) Chinese troops belonging to No.2 Company of 154 Regiment (419 Unit) killed brigade commander, three officers and twenty nine other ranks while the rest were wounded or captured at Phudung near Phitang Bridge, southwest of Bomdilla.<ref name=":0" />
Singh's body was preserved in Phudung by the local Monpas. Much later, Indian army officers returned to Phudung and cremated the courageous soldier with his eldest son performing the last rites.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Verma|first=Shiv Kunal|date=2016|title=1962: The War that wasn't|pages=541|isbn=978-93-84067-16-8}}</ref>
The then [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru]], [[Partap Singh Kairon|Punjab Chief Minister Pratap Kairon]] along with senior army officers came to [[Sankhol|village Sankhol]] to console his family. On the first death anniversary, [[Indira Gandhi]] also came to meet his family in the village.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Singh|first=Hoshiar|date=27 November 2019|title=Hoshiar Singh live in people's heart|work=Amarujala|url=https://www.amarujala.com/haryana/jhajjar-bahadurgarh/hoisar-singh-live-in-people-heart-bahadurgarh-news-rtk529502319|access-date=27 November 2019}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Hoshiar}}
[[Category:Indian Army officers]]