Story of 2nd Lt Arun Khetarpal & Battle of Basantar, picturised in the movie ‘Ikkis’

Not so quiet on the Western Front

The war of 1971 is mostly remembered for India’s triumphant campaign in the East: in less than two weeks in December, Indian forces, along with the Mukti Bahini, forced a Pakistani surrender in Dhaka, and in one fell stroke, split Pakistan in two. The photograph of Pakistani Lt Gen A A K Niazi signing the instrument of surrender under the gaze of Army Eastern Command chief Lt Gen J S Aurora remains the defining image of the war.

A signed version of a photograph of Lt Gen Niazi signing the Instrument of Surrender under the gaze of Lt Gen Aurora. Standing immediately behind (left to right): Vice Admiral Krishnan, Air Marshal Dewan, Lt Gen Sagat Singh, Maj Gen JFR Jacob (with Fg Offr SS Krishnamurthy peering over his shoulder). Veteran newscaster Surojit Sen of All India Radio is seen holding a microphone on the right. Ministry of Defence

But what happened on the Western Front was as important. Pakistani military doctrine revolved around the idea that the “defence of the East lies in the West”: Rawalpindi believed that even if Dhaka fell, as long as it could make gains in northern and western India, New Delhi could be leveraged into agreeing to a favourable settlement.

So even as India planned for a blitzkrieg operation in East Pakistan, it had to hold off Pakistani advances on the other front. Failing to do so would nullify its gains in the East.

This was a daunting task. Due to the Army’s commitments on the Eastern Front, India and Pakistan were in near-parity in the West. And unlike in the East, where all operations were driven by the ultimate objective of capturing Dhaka, fighting in the West comprised a series of defensive (and a few offensive) operations, with no overarching objective beyond keeping Pakistani forces at bay.

In this context, the Battle of Basantar was among the most important defensive-offensive operations fought by India in the 1971 War.

Shakargarh Bulge & Battle of Basantar

The Radcliffe Line left a few major points of vulnerability on India’s western border. The most notable among these is the so-called Shakargarh Bulge, a narrow piece of Pakistani territory between the Ravi and the Chenab that sticks into India, to the north of Gurdaspur and the south of Jammu. To the bulge’s east lies Pathankot, a cantonment town through which the road from Punjab to Jammu passes.

The Shakargarh Bulge. Google Maps

Pakistani military planners have long viewed the Bulge as a key to Kashmir: if Pakistan were to capture Pathankot, which lies only 40 km from the border, it could effectively choke Jammu and Kashmir, which is connected to the rest of India through the vital NH 44. The area’s flat terrain and lack of natural obstacles make it ideal for enemy tank movement, and as a result, very difficult to defend.

As the War formally began on the evening of December 3, Indian planners were well aware of the vulnerability the Bulge posed. (The sector had seen heavy fighting during the 1965 War.) Pakistan could mount a massive offensive from its Sialkot base through the Bulge, to counter which, troops were quickly mobilised to defend the sector.

Then came a stroke of military genius. Catching the Pakistanis by surprise, Indian forces under Maj Gen W A G Pinto mounted an ambitious offensive through the Shakargarh Bulge on December 6, only two days after the War had formally started. Thus began the Battle of Basantar (known in Pakistan as the Battle of Bara Pind).

Over twelve days of relentless fighting, Indian forces crossed the heavily mined Basantar river, a tributary of the Ravi that flows through the Bulge, under relentless fire from the enemy, absorbed multiple armoured counter-attacks, and eventually wrested control of nearly 500 sq km of Pakistani territory. Nearly 50 Pakistani Patton tanks were reduced to burning wrecks. By the time Pakistan called for a ceasefire on December 16, India was knocking on the doors of Sialkot.

This was a humiliating defeat for Pakistan. As the Hamoodur Rahman Commission, set up to investigate the Pakistani military’s failures in 1971, stated: “…nearly 500 villages of the Shakargarh tehsil of Sialkot district in West Pakistan were surrendered to the enemy without a fight and as a consequence the Army offensive in the south was seriously jeopardised”.

Poona Horse and 2nd Lt Arun Khetarpal

The Poona Horse (17th Horse) was formed in 1921, from the 3rd Regiment of Bombay Light Cavalry, raised in 1820, and the Poona Auxiliary Horse, raised in 1817. It was mechanised during World War II, where it saw action in the Battle of El Alamein in Egypt.

After Independence, the regiment participated in Operation Polo to annex Hyderabad from the Nizam, and in the India-Pakistan War of 1965, where it scored major victories in the Sialkot sector, most notably in the Battle of Phillora under the leadership of Lt Col Ardeshir B Tarapore, who was posthumously awarded the PVC.

On December 15, 1971, the Poona Horse, under the command of 47 Infantry Brigade, was ordered to establish a bridgehead across the Basantar river. The brigade’s engineers, who were clearing Pakistani minefields to ensure a safe lane for tanks to pass, were being battered by Pakistani artillery when the Poona Horse, with its Centurion tanks, was ordered to push through.

A daring dash followed: the tanks came under heavy fire from Pakistani Pattons as well as recoilless gun nests, but carried on through the partially-mined battlefield. The regiment successfully established a bridgehead across the Basantar by the following morning.

At the bridgehead on 8 am on December 16, the regiment faced the first of three Pakistani counterattacks. 2nd Lt Khetarpal responded with ferocity. An Army account states: “…Khetarpal continued to attack fiercely until all resistance was vanquished and he broke through in the direction of our squadron. When enemy tanks started pulling back after their initial probing attacks, he chased the enemy tanks and destroyed one of them.”

Then a Pakistani armoured squadron, comprising a dozen tanks, attacked an area held by three Indian Centurions, one of which was being manned by 2nd Lt Khetarpal; once again, the young officer distinguished himself, personally destroying four tanks. But his tank, christened Famagusta, suffered a direct hit and caught fire, leaving 2nd Lt Khetarpal seriously injured.

His superior ordered him to abandon his tank. But seeing that the enemy offensive was still on, and his gun was working, 2nd Lt Khetarpal refused. He would take down one more Patton before his tank was hit again. 2nd Lt Khetarpal was fatally wounded.

His PVC citation states: “Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal was dead but he had, by his intrepid valour saved the day; the enemy was denied the breakthrough he was so desperately seeking. Not one enemy tank got through.”

Due to 2nd Lt Khetarpal’s bravery, the Poona Horse held on to the bridgehead at Basantar, enabling Indian forces to continue their thrust deep into Pakistan.

2nd Lt Khetarpal has gone down in the annals of Indian military history as one of its greatest soldiers. The parade ground at the National Defence Academy, Dehradun is named Khetarpal Ground, while the auditorium and one of the main gates at the Indian Military Academy, Khadakwasla bear his name.

His tank, Famagusta Jx 202, was restored by the Army and is presently preserved in the Armoured Corps Centre and School in Ahmednagar.