Battle of Basantar The Battle of Basantar or the Battle of Barapind ( December 4 – 16 , 1971 ) was one of the vital battles fought as part of the Indo - Pakistani War of 1971 in the western sector of India . The Indian troops won a hard fought battle that secured this area in the Punjab / Jammu sector . The name Battle of Basantar actually encompasses the entire gamut of battles and skirmishes fought in the Shakargarh sector . Location of battle . Basantar river is a tributary of the Ravi River that flows in the states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh . This battle took place in the Shakargarh Sector or the Shakargarh Bulge that includes Jarpal and surrounding areas . The bulge is a protrusion of Pakistan boundary into Indian territory . It was a strategic area for both sides as it comprised road links to Jammu from Punjab , which could be cut off by Pakistan if it wished to launch an offensive . It was also economically vital for both sides as it straddled the fertile area of the Indus river belt . Reasoning behind the battle . As the war began on the eastern front , Pakistan decided to open up the western sector to divert Indian troops from the Eastern front in Bangladesh and prolong the war . Shakargarh bulge was a key strategic area for India as it comprised road links between Jammu and Indian Punjab . Therefore , securing the region was crucial for India as Pakistan had a military base nearby in Sialkot and therefore could have easily launched a massive invasion of the Shakargarh region , cutting Jammu and Kashmir from the rest of India . The Indian Army maintained a base at Pathankot , couple of hundred miles away from Shakargarh and quickly mobilized forces to defend the region . In an attempt to gain advantage through the element of surprise , the Indian Army , though outnumbered , attacked Pakistani positions in Jarpal area , triggering the Battle of Basantar . Battle plan . Both the opposing sides were led by their army ' s I Corps . Pakistan ' s I Corp included three infantry division s , one armoured division , an armoured brigade backed up by an unknown number of artillery and support units . Furthermore Pakistan had the advantage of bringing in the reserve troops stationed nearby . The Reserves totaled 5 divisions , commanded by none other than Lt . General Irshad Hassan Khan , who as DMI ( Director Military Intelligence ) had failed to act in the 1965 War in spite of intercepting Indian war plans . The Indian I Corps had three infantry divisions , 2 Armoured Brigade s , two independent artillery brigades and an engineer brigade . The aim of the Indian Army was to bridge the Basantar river - the entry to which was fully land mine d - and take control of the Shakargarh bulge . It was reasoned that such an offensive would also secure the Pathankot army base from any attacks from Pakistan . The battle . The offensive in this sector was launched a few days after war broke out between the two nations . The Indian I Corps moved into the sector to capture the key areas . The 54 Infantry Division and 16 Armoured Brigade moved towards the area . As they advanced they were met by stiff Pakistani resistance . Meanwhile , the Indian division was bogged down as they had not cleared all the mines or bridged the river . However , in a daring counter - attack by the 17 Poona Horse , 2nd Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal led his 3 tanks headlong into the mined area . A fierce tank battle ensued where a Pakistani tank was taken down . After suffering initial setbacks , the 8th Armoured Brigade of Pakistan was called in to help the Pakistani resistance in the area . However , the Indian Army continued the assault and Lt . Arun Khetarpal with his 2 remaining tanks fought off and gunned down 10 tanks before he was killed in action . Following the defeat in the battle , Pakistan launched a massive counter - attack which was planned into five phases : After days of intense fighting that saw both sides gaining and losing territory , the battle was turning into a stalemate . However , despite being at a quantitative and qualitative disadvantage , Indian troops made massive gains during the final days of the battle and also repelled the Pakistani thrust . Towards the tail end of the battle , Pakistan Army ' s Lieutenant Colonel Akram Raja made a frantic attempt to counter - attack the Indian stronghold near Shakargarh by jumping into an old - style cavalry charge with his tanks . Launched in broad daylight in view of the Indian defensive positions which were well secured , the campaign was a disaster . The Indians continued their military thrust deep inside Pakistan and came threateningly close to the Pakistan Army base at Sialkot . Because of being outnumbered by the advancing Indian Army , the Pakistan Army called - in the Pakistan Air Force to repel the Indian attack on the base . Expecting another massive assault by the Indian Army , this time backed by Indian Air Force - support , and in no position to launch any counter - offensive operations in the region , Pakistan offered unconditional surrender which led to ceasefire . India had gained control of more than thousand square miles before finally settling down to - 1000 km² of Pakistan territory that included approximately 500 villages . 9 Engineer Regiment at Battle of Basantar . Pakistani tanks destroyed by Indian tanks inducted into enemy territory through a safe passage created by the Sappers of 9 Engineer Regiment . On December 5 , 1971 , at about 7 . 30 pm , 2 / Lt NP Singh of 9 Engineer Regiment left with his task force for Dera Post from where they started laying an operational track for the Indian offensive . At about 9 . 30 pm , the leading task force entered Pakistani territory . The Regiment ’ s Commanding Officer , Lt Col BT Pandit , after briefly supervising this specialised task , proceeded ahead in order to guide his men . He came out very successfully in this delicate task . He was later awarded with the coveted Vir Chakra . . On December 6 , at about 2 . 30 pm , the track was completed up to Badala - Gujran in Pakistan . On December 7 , for breaching the minefield in area Thakurdwara , 404 Field Company of 9 Engineer Regiment was placed under the command of 47 Infantry Brigade from 8 pm onwards . Nearby , the other field company of 9 Engineer Regiment - 405 Field Company - in conjunction with trawls , breached a vehicle safe lane , five metre - wide and 500 metre - long , in one hour . Thereafter , a field company of 5 Engineer Regiment and a platoon of 404 Field Company widened this lane by one metre . The Sappers laying an operational track . On December 8 , 404 Field Company , on completing its task with 47 Infantry Brigade , was earmarked for providing engineer support to 91 Infantry Brigade . Simultaneously , 405 Field Company was rendered engineering support for the advance of 16 ( Independent ) Armoured Brigade in the area south and south - west of Bari . Meanwhile , 406 Field Company extended the operational track beyond Tarakwal . On December 9 , 404 Field Company was earmarked for 76 Infantry Brigade . The operational track was then connected to Bari following which the maintenance of the entire length of track continued . On the night of December 10 / 11 , a platoon of 405 Field Company , deployed with 16 ( Independent ) Armoured Brigade and commanded by Nb Sub Doraiswamy , was employed on minefield breaching task with trawls . At about 11pm , the build - up of armour into the bridgehead was seriously hampered as one of the damaged Indian tanks obstructed traffic through the lane . Reopening of the lane was of utmost importance in order to successfully ensure the defence of the bridgehead , which would have otherwise been seriously jeopardised . Nb Sub Doraiswamy , on his own initiative , took a small party forward through the Pakistani artillery barrage and succeeded in hand - breaching a detour round the stalled tank ensuring speedy induction of Indian armour and essential infantry support weapons through the minefield and into the bridgehead . For displaying this exemplary courage he was honoured with Vir Chakra . On December 11 , a diversion on Road Mawa - Pangdaur was constructed for the free movement of vehicles . Three reconnaissance patrols of 404 Field Company advanced with 91 Infantry Brigade to three different points for minefield reconnaissance . A second minefield lane was lined with the operational track on December 12 . Simultaneoulsy , 405 Field Company also cleared a minefield lane for the Armoured Brigade and , on December 13 night , it breached an enemy minefield with trawls 1 , 300 metre - deep , north of Lohara and further extended it up to Lohara . On December 15 , an Engineer Task Force comprising elements of 404 , 405 and 406 Field Companies was grouped with 47 Infantry Brigade for crossing Basantar in Lagwal area . The task involved extension of the operational track from Lohara to Lagwal , breaching of an enemy minefield at Basantar , improvement of crossing places in the riverbed and construction of crossing places on two boggy nullahs which were subsidiary obstacles . The work commenced at 8 pm on December 15 and was carried out under intense Pakistani small arms , tanks and artillery fire . The Task Force , under Maj VR Choudhary , was deployed for breaching minefield and constructing a passage for tanks and other vehicles through the river Basantar in Lagwal area . On reaching the obstacle at about 8 . 30 pm , the Task Force found the situation very confusing on account of intense shelling and small arms fire which was further aggravated because of scanty information about the obstacle itself . As conventional reconnaissance would have taken considerable time , the Task Force Commander decided to disregard normal drills and safety precautions and to send a small party on a wide frontage at normal walking speed . Sensing the urgency of the situation , Capt Revinder Nath Gupta volunteered for this hazardous task and led a small party of junior commissioned officer and two other ranks right up to the far edge of the minefield . Despite the grave risk involved and very intense enemy fire , he and his party brought back vital data by 9 . 30 pm which enabled the task to be successfully completed by 2 . 30 pm on December 16 . This enabled 17 Horse with two companies to be inducted into the bridgehead by 3 pm , well in time to take on the enemy ’ s counter - attacks and eventually led to the destruction of his armoured formation west of river Basantar . Subsequently , when the enemy put up in a counter - attack , Capt Gupta personally guided tanks of 17 Horse through the cleared minefield lane for which marking was still in progress . While working on improving the crossing , he was among those killed on December 17 by enemy artillery fire which also claimed the lives of Majors VR Choudhary and SS Malik , 2 / Lt KM Mandanna , two junior commissioned officers and two other ranks . Maj SP Sharma and 12 other ranks were also wounded in the shelling . For their exemplary bravery , Maj VR Choudhary and Capt Ravinder Nath Gupta were posthumously decorated with Maha Vir Chakra and Vir Chakra respectively . Operations ceased at 8 pm on December 17 . The War Diary of the regiment records : “ After overcoming the initial shock of the death of our gallant officers and junior commissioned officers , the Thambis ’ morale is high and we are prepared to breach more Basantars . ” For their heroic exploits , the 9 Engineer Regiment was bestowed the Battle Honor " Basantar " and Theatre Honor " Punjab " and is proudly called " Basantar Regiment or Basantar R " the companies called Barkhania , Chakra , Thakurdwara and Lohra . Conclusion . Invading Shakargarh bulge was one of the most crucial components of Pakistan ' s war strategy in the western sector . Pakistan hoped that by occupying the bulge , the main link between Indian Army positions in Kashmir and Pathankot would be cut - off , following which , it could easily invade Jammu and Kashmir . Pakistani military forces stationed in Sialkot base would keep Pathankot at bay , thwarting any Indian attempts to recapture Shakargarh . However , Pakistan ' s battle plans were jeopardized because of the ingenuity of a bold attack by the Indians . The Indian Army attacked Pakistani positions in the region within four days of the declaration of the state of war , catching the Pakistanis by complete surprise . After a few days of intense fighting , the Indians had not only pushed the Pakistanis back , but had also come close to capturing Sialkot . Pakistan Army generally regards this as their most humbling defeat , next only to the Battle of Longewala despite some numerical and qualitative superiority over the opposing force . Apart from Battle of Chawinda where Pakistan defended against Indian onslaughts despite being outnumbered , the entire military campaign in the region was not successful for Pakistan . In this battle alone , India had destroyed close to 70 tanks losing only a few in the process . Pakistan ' s Hamoodur Rahman Commission recommended that the Commander 1 Corps , who " surrendered to the enemy without a fight " should " be tried for criminal and wilful neglect of duty " and poor conduct of operations , that " seriously jeopardized the Army offensive in the south . The Indian Army , on the other hand , was criticized for their somewhat timid handling of the attack on Sialkot . The army , however , in its defense stated that it was planning another assault on Sialkot with assistance from the Indian Air Force , when the cease - fire was declared . This and other battles put paid to any hopes of bargaining for territory lost in East Pakistan , by capturing Indian territory ; in fact Pakistan had lost sizeable portions of land on both sides of the border . The Pakistan Patton tank , now an attraction for visitors to the Tank Bund Road in the South Indian city of Hyderabad , is a War Trophy given to the 54th Infantry Division , and is one that the Indian Army had disabled during the Battle of Basantar in Pakistan , between December 15 – 17 , 1971 . Notes . < div class = " references - small " >