Dec 16,1971:Gp Capt RV Singh Earns a "Shabaash" From "Bongobir"

Gp Capt RV Singh & IAF Mi-4

"Bongobir" CIC Col M A G Osmany With Kilo Flight Chetak

It was December 16, 1971, and  Flt Lt (Later Gp Capt) Ravindra Vikram Singh had chosen not to be a part of “Op-Jackpot”. “Op-Jackpot” was the name given to the mission to be flown on that Day to Dhaka by helicopters. It also indicated the culmination of Operation “Cactus Lily” and the Official End to the War for “the Liberation of Bangladesh”. For Flt Lt RV Singh, who was also the Flight Commander of 105 HU, the decision was a conscious one, as none of the aircrew wanted to miss the surrender ceremony to be held at Dhaka, and he wanted to be ready for any contingency.  It was sometime in the afternoon that he received a call at Agartala. As he recalls, it was from the Headquarter, Eastern Air Command. It was an urgent task. The Mission was to proceed to Sylhet “Immediately” in a Mi-4 with an “Important” passenger on board. Do Remember it was the Day of the Surrender and the focus was on Dhaka.

Log Book Extract: Air Cmde MM Ali: Op-Cactus-Lily & Op Jackpot

The task was to proceed to Sylhet “Immediately” in a Mi-4 with an “Important” passenger on board. He recalls instructing F/O Krishana to proceed to aircraft and start-up. It was late afternoon, and it was getting close to Sunset time. Along with his entourage, the important passenger turned out to be the Commander In Chief (CIC) of the Bangladesh Forces, Muhammed Ata-ul-Gani Osmany himself. He was accompanied by his Chief of Staff, Lt. Col. MA Rob, among others. The CIC wanted to accept the surrender of the Pakistani forces at Sylhet himself.   General Osmany was from Sylhet and was born at Dayamir/Osmany Nagar in Sylhet during British India on September 1,1918.  A fiercely Patriotic and Principled officer, he was unafraid to take on his superiors, which was probably why he resented the limelight being “stolen” by the Indian Forces at the planned Surrender Ceremony being held at Dhaka.  Having Expressed his concerns, a way around it was probably found by offering him to preside over the Surrender of Pakistani forces stationed at Sylhet. It must have been acceptable to him as he was from Sylhet. This back and forth decision making took some time and resulted in the tasking of Flt Lt RV Singh and Mi-4 “Z-641” for the fateful flight.

Log Book Extract: Gp Capt RV Singh, "Shot Down at Fenchuganj"

Flt Lt RV Singh had been flying in the sector for almost the entire duration of the war and was familiar with the terrain and the conditions prevailing in the sector. As he approached Sylhet, the CIC was standing on the ladder, which is the usual place for a Flight Engineer to stand. It was then that what he describes as “a commotion” broke out. He looked back and saw a lot of “Red”. He asked the CIC to go down and send the Flt Engr. The following is the description given by Gp Capt RV Singh Himself:(do have the patience to Hear)

Narrative of Incident: Gp Capt RV Singh in Conversation with Author

Gp Capt RV Singh’s vivid description and the landing at Fenchuganj, within the critical limit of 16 minutes, and, at night, is a testimony to his skill set. 
If the reader has heard the narrative carefully, he would also appreciate why General Osmany gave that “SHABASH”. 
The event did happen a long time ago, and, even though certain details are unclear, however, what is clear is the fact that the “Bongobir” had a narrow escape on that fateful day of December 16, 1971, and having landed at Fenchuganj, I believe General Osmany did proceed to Sylhet the next day aboard the helicopter Z-337 flown by the “Op-Jackpot” returnees. (D’souza/MM Ali).

Airlift of "Bongobir': Log Book Extract Air Cmde MM Ali

Although several conspiracy theories abound in the available media space. hopefully, this piece would allay any of those, and accept that a disgruntled Pakistani soldier decided to take a potshot and got lucky. With the victors’ entire focus on the ceremony at Dhaka, the “Bongobir” visit to Sylhet could easily have turned into an unmitigated disaster with far-reaching ramifications upon the post-war relationship between the two countries. 
It was perhaps providence that it did not happen, and Gp Capt RV Singh played a key role. 
Perhaps the SHABAASH from the “Bongobir” was worth many times more than the VM (G) awarded to Gp Capt Ravindra Vikram Singh VM(G). an unsung hero and an important contributor to the  Indo-Bangladesh friendship. 
–Bhupinder S. Nijjar 

Source: IAF Twitter