PM Modi calls hero’s son to ask about his health.
On 16 December 1971, Pakistan witnessed a rout from India in the Bangladesh liberation war and that day is remembered as “Vijay Divas”. There have been many heroes who have fought for the nation and Bhairo Singh is one of them.
Bhairo Singh, a 1971 Indo-Pak war hero of Longewala, who killed many Pakistani soldiers with his bravery is currently ill and he is admitted to AIIMS Jodhpur. According to family members, the war hero fell ill and his legs and hands had stopped working. Keeping his deteriorating condition in mind, he was rushed to the hospital.
But now his condition is improving. The Sunday Guardian contacted Bhairo Singh’s son Sawai Singh and according to him, Bhairo Singh’s condition is improving. Enquiries and prayers have poured from various corners. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also called the hero’s son to ask about his health. “The whole team of doctors is keeping a keen eye on my father and now his condition is improving,” Sawai Singh said. According to Sawai Singh, the reason behind his father’s illness is a “blood clot in the brain”.
In October too, Bhairo Singh, a resident of Solanki Tala village of Jodhpur district, had been admitted to AIIMS. At that time, he was having pain in his chest because of infection. When the AIIMS administration got to know about Bhairo Singh and his valour, he was offered free treatment by the hospital.
Bhairo Singh was attached to the 23 Punjab Battalion to guide them in the border area. But suddenly when Pakistani tanks and infantry marched towards the Longewala post, Bhairo Singh with other six BSF men helped the army in stopping the Pakistani regiment for the whole night. Bhairo Singh killed more than two dozen Pakistani soldiers with MMG, which he operated for more than five hours. Last year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah met the war hero, when he was on a two-day visit to Rajasthan for the 57th rising day of BSF.
Portrayed by Sunil Shetty in ‘Border’
“Border”, a multi-starrer movie released in 1997 and directed by J.P. Datta, showed Sunil Shetty portraying the role of Bhairo Singh as an Assistant Commandant. However, Bhairo Singh was shown to be a martyr in the movie. Later, he termed his depiction as a martyr wrong. Bhairo Singh was Lance Naik in BSF and retired in 1987. After the war, he was awarded the Sena Medal in 1972 by then Rajasthan Chief Minister Barkatullah Khan, for his exemplary service.
During the Indo-Pakistan war in 1971, 120 Indian soldiers held 2,000 soldiers and the tank regiment of Pakistan in Longewala for the whole night. Major Kuldeep Singh Chandpuri led the Indian army in this battle. BSF’s Bhairo Singh was also included in this contingent. His bullets had killed many Pakistani soldiers. Longewala is also known as the Graveyard of Pakistani Tanks. The next morning, Air Force fighters heavily bombed Pakistani tanks, destroying more than 40 tanks. The remaining Pakistani soldiers had fled after losing a large number of their soldiers. The Battle of Longewala is highlighted in the army of many countries of the world.