View source for Jagjit Singh Aurora

{{Short description|Indian military officer (1916–2005)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Lieutenant General (India)|Lieutenant General]]
| name          = Jagjit Singh Aurora
| honorific_suffix = [[Param Vishisht Seva Medal|PVSM]]
| image         = File:Jagjit Singh Aurora.jpeg
| image_size    = 250px
| caption       = Official military portrait
| birth_date    = {{birth date|df=yes|1916|2|13}}
| death_date    = {{death date and age|df=yes|2005|5|3|1916|2|13}}
| birth_place   = [[Kala Gujran]], [[Jhelum District]], [[Punjab (British India)|Punjab]], [[British India]] (now in [[Punjab, Pakistan]])
| death_place   = New Delhi, India
| allegiance    = {{Flag|British India}}<br />(1939–1947)<br />{{Flag|India}}<br />(1947–1973)
| branch        = {{Army|British India}}<br />{{Army|India}}
| serviceyears  = 1939–1973
| rank          = [[File:Lieutenant General of the Indian Army.svg|24px]] [[Lieutenant General (India)|Lieutenant General]]
| servicenumber = IC-214<ref name="Gazette_India" />
| commands      = [[File:IA Eastern Command.jpg|20px]] [[Eastern Command (India)|Eastern Army]]
| unit          = [[2nd Punjab Regiment]] (until 1947) <br /> [[Punjab Regiment (India)|Punjab Regiment]] (after 1947)
| battles       = {{tree list}}
* [[World War II]]
** [[Burma Campaign]]
* [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947]]
* [[Sino-Indian War]]
* [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]]
* [[Nathu La and Cho La clashes]]
* [[Bangladesh Liberation War]]
{{tree list/end}}
| awards        = [[Param Vishisht Seva Medal]] <br />[[Padma Bhushan]]<br>[[Mentioned in dispatches]]
| signature     = File:Jagjit Singh Aurora, signature.svg
}}

[[Lieutenant General (India)|Lieutenant General]] '''Jagjit Singh Aurora''' (or '''Arora'''), [[Param Vishisht Seva Medal|PVSM]]<ref name="DCOAS" /><ref name="Gazette_India" /><ref name="Indian_Army_List_47">{{cite book |pages=245–246 |title=Indian Army List (Special Edition) 1947 |publisher=Government of India Press |year=1947}}</ref><ref name="name" group="note">Both spellings are used in official documents; though "Aurora" predominates in the listings in the pre-Independence ''Indian Army List'', as do those in the ''[[Gazette of India]]''.</ref> (13 February 1916<ref name="birthdate" group="note">As given in the pre-Independence ''Indian Army List''.</ref> – 3 May 2005) was an Indian senior military officer who was the [[General Officer Commanding]]-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) [[Eastern Command (India)|Eastern Command]] during the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] and the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]. He organised and led the ground forces campaign in the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|Eastern Front]] of the war, which led to an overwhelming defeat of the combined [[Pakistan Armed Forces]] [[Eastern Command (Pakistan)|in East-Pakistan]] that led to the creation of [[Bangladesh]].<ref name="br-homage">{{cite magazine |title=Homage to a Hero: Lt Gen J. S. Arora |url=https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/army/personnel/tributes/js-aurora/ |date=17 June 2005 |magazine=Frontline |access-date=24 July 2011 |via=bharat-rakshak.com}}</ref>

As the General commanding the Indian and Bangladesh Forces in the Eastern theater, Gen Aurora received the surrender from the Governor of [[East Pakistan]] and Commander of the Eastern Command of the [[Pakistan Army]], Lt Gen [[A. A. K. Niazi]].

After retirement from the Indian Army, he joined [[Akali Dal]] and served as a Member of Parliament in the [[Rajya Sabha]].

== Early life ==
Jagjit Singh Aurora was born to an [[Arora]] [[Khatri]] [[Sikhs|Sikh]] family in [[Kala Gujran]], [[Jhelum District]], [[Punjab (British India)|Punjab]], British India.<ref name="Modesty in victory">{{cite news |title=Modesty in victory |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050504/edit.htm#6 |access-date=27 November 2016 |work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)]] |agency=[[Indo-Asian News Service]] |date=4 May 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518093219/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050504/edit.htm#6 |archive-date=18 May 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> His father was an engineer. He was married to Bhagwant Kaur, she accompanied him to the [[Pakistani Instrument of Surrender]] in Dhaka. The couple had two children, Anita Kaur and Kiranjit Singh.

== Army career ==
Aurora graduated from the [[Indian Military Academy]] in 1939 and was commissioned into the 1st Battalion, [[2nd Punjab Regiment]] on 1 February.<ref name="Indian_Army_List_47" /> He saw action in the [[Burma Campaign]] during World War II.<ref name=nyt-obit>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/06/obituaries/06aurora.html |title=Jagjit Singh Aurora, 89, Indian War Hero, Is Dead |work=The New York Times |date=6 May 2005 |access-date=15 July 2011}}</ref>

After [[independence of India|Independence]] and the ensuing [[Partition of India]], he opted to join the [[Indian Army]]. As a lieutenant colonel commanding 1 (Para) Battalion in the [[Punjab Regiment (India)|Punjab Regiment]], he was [[mentioned in dispatches]] during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The Gazette of India: Part I-Section 1 |page=18  |date=17 February 1951|url=https://egazette.gov.in/WriteReadData/1951/O-2306-1951-0007-107698.pdf |publisher=Department of Publications, Government of India}}</ref><ref name=ia-punjabregiment>{{cite web |url=http://indianarmy.nic.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmPhotoGalleryWithMenuWithTitle.aspx?MnId=CVpxJM4HyDk=&ParentID=VBMAob67zU4= |title=Punjab Regiment: Colonels of the Regiment |publisher=Indian Army |access-date=24 July 2011}}</ref> On 3 February 1957, he was promoted acting [[Brigadier]] and given command of an infantry brigade.<ref name="brigade">{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=76 |date=30 March 1957 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref>

In May 1961, as BGS [[XXXIII Corps (India)|XXXIII Corps]], Brigadier Aurora led a team of military officers and men sent by the [[Government of India]] on a [[reconnaissance]] mission to [[Bhutan]]. This later led to the establishment of the [[Indian Military Training Team]] in Bhutan.<ref>{{cite web |title=Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT), Bhutan |url=http://indianarmy.nic.in/index_imtrat.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619071023/http://indianarmy.nic.in/index_imtrat.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 June 2009 |date=19 June 2009}}</ref>

As a brigadier, he fought in the [[Sino-Indian war of 1962|Sino-Indian War in 1962]] and again in [[Sino-Indian War of 1967|1967]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Post |first=Garhwal |date=2021-10-03 |title=India’s victories in 1967 and 1971: Connections in the Narrative {{!}} Garhwal Post |url=https://garhwalpost.in/indias-victories-in-1967-and-1971-connections-in-the-narrative/ |access-date=2025-10-25 |language=en-US}}</ref> He was appointed a division commander on 21 February 1963,<ref name="GOC_div" /> with a promotion to the rank of [[Major General]] on 20 June 1964.<ref name="maj_gen">{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=371 |date=12 September 1964 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> He was then appointed Director of Military Training (DMT) on 23 November 1964.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=509 |date=19 December 1964 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> He also participated in the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]].

On 6 June 1966, Aurora was appointed Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (DCOAS) with the acting rank of [[Lieutenant General (India)|Lieutenant General]],<ref name="DCOAS" /> and was promoted substantive Lieutenant General on 4 August.<ref name="lt_gen">{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=628 |date=15 October 1966 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> He was then given command of a [[General Officer Commanding]] (GOC) of a corps on 27 April 1967.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=496 |date=24 June 1967 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref>  On 8 June 1969, he was appointed the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) [[Eastern Command (India)|Eastern Command]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=663 |date=19 July 1969 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref>

=== East Pakistan ===
[[File:1971 Instrument of Surrender WaPo.jpg|thumb|300x300px|Lt. Gen [[A. A. K. Niazi]], Commanding Officer of Pakistan Army forces in East Pakistan signing the instrument of surrender on 16 December 1971 in the presence of Lt. Gen. Aurora]]
In March 1971, the [[Pakistan Army]] launched [[Operation Searchlight]] to curb the [[Bengali nationalism|Bengali nationalist movement]] in [[East Pakistan]]. The operation resulted in commencement of the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] which resulted in the [[1971 Bangladesh genocide|Bangladesh genocide]], including the systematic [[1971 killing of Bengali intellectuals|murder of Bengali intellectuals by the Pakistan Army]]. The ensuing violence led to almost 10 million Bengali refugees fleeing from East Pakistan into India.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} Under the command of General [[M. A. G. Osmani]] a Bangladeshi military force, the [[Mukti Bahini]], was formed. Consisting of Bengali defectors from the Pakistan Army and guerrilla fighters, it engaged in hostilities with the Pakistani Army.<ref>{{cite book |last=Raja |first=Dewan Mohammad Tasawwar |year=2010 |title=O General My General |publisher=The Osmany Memorial Trust |pages=70, 72 |isbn=978-984-8866-18-4}}</ref>

For the next nine months, with tensions escalating between India and Pakistan and anticipating possible hostilities, Aurora oversaw the logistical preparations of the Indian Army on the Eastern front, including the improvement of roads, communications and bridges, as well as the movement of 30,000 tons of supplies close to the border with East Pakistan.

At the outbreak of the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|war]] on 3 December 1971, the Eastern Army Commander, Gen. Aurora oversaw the Indian ground forces into battle in East Pakistan. Forces under Aurora's command, in
a meticulously planned operation, formed numerous small combat teams and launched
a four-front attack with the strategy of confronting and defeating Pakistani forces on selected fronts, while bypassing them on others. In less than two weeks, his forces advanced from the Indian border to capture [[Dhaka]], the capital of East Pakistan.<ref name=guardian-obit>{{cite news |title=Obituary: Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/may/11/india.bangladesh |work=The Guardian |date=11 May 2005 |access-date=15 July 2011}}</ref>

The [[Evolution of Pakistan Eastern Command plan|Unified Commander of Pakistan Armed Forces's Eastern Military High Command]], Lieutenant General [[Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi]] was forced to sign an instrument of unconditional surrender.  View:  [[Pakistani Instrument of Surrender|Instrument of Surrender]]. The photograph of Niazi and Aurora at the signing of the Instruments of Surrender became an iconic image of the war,<ref>{{cite news |title=Bangladesh honours Gen. Aurora |url=http://www.thehindu.com/2005/05/22/stories/2005052201860900.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129111400/http://www.thehindu.com/2005/05/22/stories/2005052201860900.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 November 2014 |access-date=21 November 2014 |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=22 May 2005}}</ref> with ''[[The Guardian]]'' describing the scene as "the glum Pakistani officer bowed over his signature. The turbaned figure beside him, showing not a scrap of elation".<ref name=guardian-obit /> The 90,000 Pakistani troops under Niazi's command surrendered to Gen Aurora as [[prisoners of war]] in what remains to date the largest surrender of soldiers since the [[Second World War]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/the-bangladeshi-liberation-has-lessons-for-india-today/articleshow/88412623.cms |title=The Bangladeshi liberation has lessons for India today |date=21 December 2021 |access-date=29 December 2021 |website=[[The Times of India]] |last=Srinivasaraju |first=Sugata}}</ref><ref name=nyt-obit /> Pakistan lost almost {{convert|57000|sqmi|km2}} of its territory and 70 million of its people to the newly formed nation of Bangladesh.

== Later life ==
Aurora was honoured with the [[Param Vishisht Seva Medal]], the [[Padma Bhushan]] and the [[Bir Protik]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 February 2011 |title=Punjab Govt. to Confer Punjab 'Rattan Award' |url=http://www.sikhnet.com/news/punjab-govt-confer-punjab-rattan-award |access-date=4 March 2022 |website=SikhNet |language=en}}</ref>  for his role in the war.<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web |url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |year=2015 |access-date=21 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015}}</ref> He retired from the Indian Army in 1973. [[J. F. R. Jacob|Lt Gen JFR Jacob]] has written in his book ''An Odyssey in War And Peace'' that Gen. Aurora approached then Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]] for governorship of a state but she declined.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jacob |first1=Lt. Gen J.F.R. |author-link=J. F. R. Jacob |year=2011 |title=An Odyssey In War And Peace |publisher=Roli Books |location=Delhi |page= |isbn=978-81-7436-933-8 |quote=Aurora approached Mrs Indira Gandhi, seeking to be appointed a governor. She declined.}}</ref>{{page needed|date=February 2023}} Jacob also writes that Gen. and Mrs. Aurora were a regular part of the social life of Calcutta.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jacob |first1=Lt. Gen J.F.R. |author-link=J. F. R. Jacob |year=2011 |title=An Odyssey In War And Peace |publisher=Roli Books |location=Delhi |page= |isbn=978-81-7436-933-8 |quote=Aurora soon became part of the social circuit.}}</ref>

In 1984, Aurora  fiercely criticised the [[Indian National Congress]] leadership following [[Operation Blue Star]], which was an operation by the then government of flushing out armed Sikh militants who had taken up positions inside the [[Harmandir Sahib|Golden Temple]] in [[Amritsar]] but also caused extensive damage to the holiest shrine of Sikhism. Subsequently, he spent several years as a member of parliament in the [[Rajya Sabha]], the upper House of the Indian Parliament, for the [[Akali Dal]], a political party.

Aurora was also an active member of the [[Citizen's Justice Committee]] which provided [[pro bono]] assistance to Sikh victims of the [[1984 anti-Sikh riots]].

== Death ==
Jagjit Singh Aurora died on 3 May 2005, at age 89, in New Delhi.<ref name=toi-notice>{{cite web |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/1971-war-hero-Lt-General-J-S-Aurora-dead/articleshow/1095879.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713025901/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2005-05-03/india/27837229_1_army-officer-eastern-army-command-goc |url-status=live |archive-date=13 July 2011 |title=1971 war hero Lt General J S Aurora dead |date=3 May 2005 |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=15 July 2011}}</ref> He was survived by a son and a daughter. After his death, the gratitude of Bangladesh to General Aurora was emphasized in a message to India, from [[Morshed Khan]], the Bangladeshi [[Foreign Minister]], stating: ''"Aurora will be remembered in the history of Bangladesh for his contribution during our war of liberation in 1971, when he led the allied forces."''

The site of the Pakistani surrender, where Lt. Gen. Niazi signed the Instrument of Surrender with Lt. Gen. Aurora on 16 December 1971 has been converted into a national monument [[Swadhinata Stambha]]. The main attraction is the glass Stambha which is built on the precise location where the instrument of surrender was signed. The monument also includes an [[eternal flame]], terracotta murals of martyrs and a body of water.

== Dates of rank ==
{| class="wikitable" style="background:white"
! Insignia !! Rank !! Component !! Date of rank
|-
| align="center" | [[File:British Army OF-1a.svg|35px]] || [[Second lieutenant#United Kingdom & other Commonwealth countries|Second Lieutenant]] || [[British Indian Army]] || 1 February 1939<ref name="Indian_Army_List_47" />
|-
| align="center" | [[File:British Army OF-1b.svg|35px]] || [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|Lieutenant]] || British Indian Army || 30 January 1940<ref name="Indian_Army_List_45">{{cite book |pages=243–244 |title=Indian Army List October 1945 (Part I) |publisher=Government of India Press |year=1945}}</ref>
|-
| align="center" | [[File:British Army OF-2.svg|35px]] || [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|Captain]] || British Indian Army  || 22 February 1940 (acting)<ref name="Indian_Army_List_47" /><br />5 February 1941 (temporary)<ref name="Indian_Army_List_47" /><br />1 May 1942 (war-substantive)<ref name="Indian_Army_List_47" /><br />30 January 1946 (substantive)<ref name="Indian_Army_List_47" />
|-
| align="center" | [[File:British Army (1920–1953) OF-3.svg|35px]] || [[Major (United Kingdom)|Major]] ||British Indian Army || 1 February 1942 (acting)<ref name="Indian_Army_List_47" /><br />1 May 1942 (temporary)<ref name="Indian_Army_List_47" />
|-
| align="center" | [[File:British Army OF-2.svg|35px]] || Captain || [[Indian Army]]  || 15 August 1947<ref name="insignia" group="note">Upon independence in 1947, India became a [[Dominion of India|Dominion]] within the British [[Commonwealth of Nations]]. As a result, the rank insignia of the [[British Army]], incorporating the [[Tudor Crown (heraldry)|Tudor Crown]] and four-pointed [[Order of the Bath|Bath Star]] ("pip"), was retained, as [[George VI of the United Kingdom|George VI]] remained Commander-in-Chief of the [[Indian Armed Forces]]. After 26 January 1950, when India became a [[Republic of India|republic]], the [[President of India]] became Commander-in-Chief, and the [[Lion Capital of Asoka|Ashoka Lion]] replaced the crown, with a five-pointed star being substituted for the "pip."</ref><ref name="insignia_designs" />
|-
| align="center" | [[File:Captain of the Indian Army.svg|35px]] || Captain || Indian Army || 26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)<ref name="insignia_designs">{{cite web |title=New Designs of Crests and Badges in the Services |url=http://pib.nic.in/archive/docs/DVD_38/ACC%20NO%20807-BR/HOM-1950-01-06_484.pdf |website=Press Information Bureau of India – Archive |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808193914/http://pib.nic.in/archive/docs/DVD_38/ACC%20NO%20807-BR/HOM-1950-01-06_484.pdf |archive-date=8 August 2017}}</ref>
|-
| align="center" | [[File:Major of the Indian Army.svg|35px]] || Major || Indian Army || 26 February 1950 (temporary)<br />30 January 1951 (substantive)<ref name="Gazette_India">{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=89 |date=12 May 1951 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref>
|-
| align="center" | [[File:Lieutenant Colonel of the Indian Army.svg|35px]] || [[Lieutenant-Colonel]] || Indian Army || 30 January 1952<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=131 |date=2 July 1955 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref>
|-
| align="center" | [[File:Colonel of the Indian Army.svg|35px]] || [[Colonel]] || Indian Army || 1 August 1958<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=294 |date=28 November 1959 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref>
|-
| align="center" | [[File:Brigadier of the Indian Army.svg|35px]]  || [[Brigadier]] || Indian Army || 3 February 1957 (acting)<ref name="brigade" /><br />1962 (substantive)
|-
| align="center" | [[File:Major General of the Indian Army.svg|35px]] || [[Major general#India|Major General]] || Indian Army || 21 February 1963 (acting)<ref name="GOC_div">{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=123 |date=13 April 1963 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref><br />20 June 1964 (substantive)<ref name="maj_gen" />
|-
| align="center" | [[File:Lieutenant General of the Indian Army.svg|35px]]  || [[Lieutenant-General]] || Indian Army || 6 June 1966 (acting)<ref name="DCOAS">{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=413 |date=16 July 1966 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref><br />4 August 1966 (substantive)<ref name="lt_gen" />
|}

== See also ==
* [[Sam Manekshaw]]
* [[Bangladesh Liberation War]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.rediff.co.in/chat/aurochat.htm Chat with Jagjit Singh Aurora] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026055021/http://www.rediff.co.in/chat/aurochat.htm |date=26 October 2011 }}, ''[[Rediff.com]]''

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Kunhiraman Palat Candeth]]}}
{{s-ttl|title = [[Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (India)|Deputy Chief of the Army Staff]] | years = 1966–1967}}
{{s-aft|after = [[Gopal Gurunath Bewoor]]}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Sam Manekshaw]]}}
{{s-ttl|title = [[General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command]] | years = 1969–1973}}
{{s-aft|after = [[N. C. Rawlley]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{1971 Indo-Pak War}}
{{Bangladesh liberation}}
{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1970–79}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aurora, Jagjit Singh}}
[[Category:1916 births]]
[[Category:2005 deaths]]
[[Category:British Indian Army officers]]
[[Category:Deputy chiefs of Army Staff (India)]]
[[Category:Generals of the Bangladesh Liberation War]]
[[Category:Generals of the India–Pakistan war of 1971]]
[[Category:Indian military personnel of the India–Pakistan war of 1971]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:People from Jhelum District]]
[[Category:People from Punjab Province (British India)]]
[[Category:People of the Bangladesh Liberation War]]
[[Category:Punjabi Sikhs]]
[[Category:Rajya Sabha members from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Bir Protik]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in civil service]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal]]
[[Category:Shiromani Akali Dal politicians]]
[[Category:St. Anthony's High School, Lahore alumni]]