The hero of the 1971 Indo-pak war kuldip singh passes away at the age of 78.Brig Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra for gallantry in the 1971 Indo-Pak war and a well known city resident, passed away this morning at a local hospital after battling cancer. Survived by his wife and three sons, the war hero would have turned 78 on November 22. His mortal remains will be consigned to the flames with full military honours on Monday after close family members return from abroad.
Brigadier Chandpuri was awarded the nation’s second highest gallantry war for his role at Laungewala, a remote outpost in the deserts of Jaisalmer, where a relatively small group of Indian soldiers held off a massive Pakistani attack through the night in the early days of the 1971 war.A huge picture of Indian soldiers dancing atop a captured Pakistani tank to celebrate their victory dominates the living room of his residence here.
“We were given a choice — To stay put and defend the position or go in for a tactical retreat. We chose to stay put and fight,”
Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri died in a private hospital in Mohali near here on Saturday, family sources said. He was 78.
-Shikha Sandhir
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