Page 16 - Seniors Today Dec 2019
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The 220-feet triple single Bailey bridge at Jhingergacha
The Gnat pilots were Flt Lts Roy Andrew Mehdi Qureshi (who subsequently became
Massey and Ganapathy, and Flg Officer the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air
Don Lazarus, who won the air force’s first force in 1999 during the Kargil conflict), and
VrCs and that too for action over our gun Flg Officer Khalil Ahmed. Both the Paki-
area and the corps zone on our infantry stani pilots asked us not to hand them over
brigade, in whose direct support was my to the Mukti Bahini, which we agreed to.
artillery regiment. Flg Officer Soares was Both became PoWs, and were well treated
the other pilot in action. by us as per the Geneva Conventions. In our
The two Pakistani pilots ejected, and their regiment vehicle we sent them to the Infan-
parachutes landed over the 4 Sikh battal- try Division HQs. Most of our coursemates
ion of the infantry brigade that we were in there had witnessed this in some way or the
direct support to. Capt HS Panag (ACA 33rd other, but I had experienced a great event.
NDA –Kilo Squadron, later Lt Gen Army Most interestingly, in October 2017, through
Commander), who was the adjutant of that my Shivaji Military School Junior colleague
battalion, initially apprehended them and Rajeev Ketkar, another IAF fighter pilot,
then sent them to our artillery regiment I managed to connect with Gp Capt Don
which was behind, echeloned on a flank. Lazarus, (who had shot down Pervaiz Me-
I was the nearest battery to the regiment hdi), Gp Capt Soares, Gp Capt Bagchi, the
command post, and was summoned by the Flight Controller (who had ordered the
2IC Maj Basudev Krishna (9th NDA course Gnats to scramble that afternoon on 22 No-
ACC, and Gold Medal Winner of that vember 1971) and Flt Lt Sharad Savur, our
course), and Capt Jay Sapatnekar Adjutant, Forward Air Controller (FAC) with our In-
to reach the command post with Lt Gabriel fantry Brigade (later retired as Air Marshal
Pereira, my neighbouring Gun Position Of- – AOC-in-C, Southern Air Command).
ficer, to manage the two apprehended pilots We were able to invite Don Lazarus, Soares
and blindfold them. We did that as ordered. and Sharad Savur to the Rajendra Sinhji
Army Mess & Institute (RSAMI) at Pune
Prisoners of war for lunch, and give them a vote of thanks
The Pakistani pilots were Flt Lt Pervaiz for what they had done for the Ground
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