Balram Singh Mehta is a retired Brigadier of the Indian Army who took part in the Battle of Garibpur before the beginning of the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War. In November 2022, it was announced that a film on his book, The Burning Chaffees: A Soldier’s First-Hand Account of the 1971 War, would be released on 2 December 2022.
Wiki/Biography
After completing his formal education, Balram Singh Mehta joined the Indian Military Academy, where he attended a training course. He was commissioned into the Indian Army on 15 June 1966.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Hair Colour: Grey
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Family
Balram Singh Mehta belongs to a military family.
Parents & Siblings
Not much is known about his parents. He has 2 brothers and a sister. His brother Raj Mehta is a retired Major General of the Indian Army. His brother Narinder Mehta (deceased) is a retired Colonel of the Indian Army.
Major General Raj Mehta, brother of Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta
Career
Army
On 15 June 1966, Balram Singh Mehta joined the 45 Cavalry Regiment of the Indian Army’s Armoured Corps as a Second Lieutenant. By 1971, Balram had risen to the rank of Captain and participated in the Battle of Garibpur with his regiment before the beginning of the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War.
Battle of Garibpur
On 20 November 1971, i. e., twelve days before the beginning of the 1971 war, the Battle of Garibpur was fought between the Indian Army and Pakistan Army in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). In the battle, Balram Singh Mehta served in the C Squadron of the 45th Cavalry Regiment under the command of Major Daljit Singh Narang, who was killed in action during the battle. After Major Narang’s death, Balram became the Second-in-Command (2IC) of the C Squadron and led the squadron towards victory by destroying 8 Pakistani tanks and capturing the town of Garibpur.
After the battle ended, Balram Singh Mehta’s name was mentioned in despatches by the Indian Army. Talking about the battle, Balram said,
I was then the second-in- command of the 45th Cavalry Squadron. We had Russian PT-76 tanks in our fleet. Together with the 14th Punjab Battalion, on the night of 20th November, we crossed the Kabadak river and entered the border of Garibpur… after dawn on the 21st, the Pakistani tank fleet started fighting with our tanks. They had 14 American Chaffee tanks with them. Major Daljit Singh Narang, the commander of our squadron, lost his life in the Pakistani shelling almost at the beginning of the war. As a result, the responsibility of conducting the war fell on me. Just then my tank started malfunctioning. Meanwhile, three Pakistani tanks surrounded us. Almost miraculously we managed to bring down all three tanks. When their gunner was coming out of a Pakistani tank, I stopped the gunner in my tank from firing at him. Later, when we took him as a prisoner of war and gave him tea and biscuits, he was still giving thanks. If the government had given us the permission on that day (the day the Battle of Garibpur was won), we would have driven up till Jessore (Bangladesh) and brought the war to an early end.”
A photograph taken after the end of the Battle of Garibpur
After the war
On 21 December 1984, Balram Singh Mehta, who had become a Lieutenant Colonel, raised the Indian Army’s 13th Armoured Regiment. In November 1986, under his command, the 13th Armored Regiment participated in Operation Brasstacks, a major military exercise in Rajasthan. In 1990, Balram Singh Mehta attended the Higher Command Course at the Army War College, Mhow. Balram held several key appointments in the Strike Corps, Mountain Divisions, and Infantry Divisions. Later, Balram was sent on deputation to the Cabinet Secretariat. Balram Singh Mehta took pre-mature retirement as a Brigadier from the Indian Army in 1998.
After retirement
After retirement, Balram Singh Mehta was employed by the Gujarat government. While working with the government, in 2000, he established the Entrepreneurship Development Institute in Ahmedabad for the retiring officers of the Indian Army. He served with the Government of Gujarat till 2001. After working with the government, Balram served as the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of several universities in Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. Balram Singh Mehta has also worked as the Director General of an Iowa-based NGO named Maharishi Invincible Defence for Peace. Balram Singh Mehta is also a member of the Surat-based NGO named Jai Jawan Nagrik Samiti.
Honours
For his actions during the Battle of Garibpur, Balram Singh Mehta’s name was mentioned in despatches by the Indian Army in 1974.
Facts/Trivia
- In 2016, Balram Singh Mehta wrote The Burning Chaffees: A Soldier’s First-Hand Account of the 1971 War, which is a book based on the events that unfolded during the Battle of Garibpur. Talking about the book, Balram said,
I was invited for the regimental lunch of the 45 Cavalry in 2015 by Lt Gen Amit Sharma, then Colonel of the Regiment. Serving and retired officers present there reminded me of my promise to write a book about my first-hand battle experience. The golden jubilee celebrations of the 45 Cavalry were scheduled for early 2016. For a soldier, a promise is a promise.”
Balram Singh Mehta with his book
- In November 2022, RSVP media production company announced that they will release Pippa, a war film based on Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta’s 2016 book The Burning Chaffees: A Soldier’s First-Hand Account of the 1971 War, on 2 December 2022. The film will be starring Ishan Khattar in the lead role. Talking about the film, Balram said,
Over the past few months, his team has assembled big names and talent recognised for excellence. It is the imagination, creativity, experience and talent of Siddharth Roy Kapur to have visualised and conceptualised a war movie while reading the narrative.”