Call for emergency blood donation: A positive response from 4 Army jawans for cancer patient

Dr Simmi Warriach, who knows the couple, says that Col Bhagat Singh is almost 90 years old and suffers from poor vision. She posted a message on Facebook asking for volunteers to donate blood. And Brig (retd) I S Gakhal, a former Sikh Regiment officer and an office-bearer of the local association of the Sikh Regiment officers, made a call to the Commanding Officer of 4 Sikh in Chandimandir asking for immediate help. Within an hour of receiving a call, the battalion dispatched four jawans for donating blood at the hospital in Mohali.

“It was extremely kind of the Commanding Officer of 4 Sikh to have responded promptly for the call to help,” said Brig Gakhal. He added that during his service in the Army, Col Bhagat Singh had raised two battalions of the Sikh Regiment and had gone on to command three battalions, which was a rare honour and achievement.

The humane help provided by the battalion has come in for praise from veterans of the regiment. Major General (retd) K Khorana, a former Commanding Officer of the battalion, said the unit had lived up to the ethos of the Army. Giving the history of the unit, he said that it participated in the legendary Battle of Saragarhi in 1897 in North West Frontier Province. “In 1962 Sino-India war, the unit took part in the Battle of Walong in the Eastern Theatre while in 1965 war, it captured Barki village in Pakistan Punjab which was strategically located. In 1971 war, the unit saw action in East Pakistan, later Bangladesh,” he added.