Shabeg Singh

Shabeg Singh
General Shabeg Singh in the Indian Army uniform
Birth name	Shabeg Singh Bhangu
Born	1925 Khiala Kalan, Amritsar, Panjab
Died	6 June 1984(1984-06-06) Akal Takht, Amritsar, Panjab
Allegiance	Sikh India
Service/branch	Army
Years of service	1944 – 1977
Rank	Major general
Unit	Garhwal Rifles 3/11 Gorkha Rifles Parachute Regiment
Commands held	GOC, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and parts of Odisha
Battles/wars	Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 (India) and Operation Blue Star 1984 under Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale
Awards	AVSM and PVSM
Memorials	Gurdwara Yaadgar Shaheedan, Amritsar
Relations	Mehtab Singh Bhangu

Major General Shabeg Singh AVSM and PVSM (1925 – 1984), was an Indian Army officer noted for his service in training of Mukti Bahini volunteers during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Singh was born in Khiala village (earlier known as Khiala Nand Singhwala), about nine miles (14 km) from Amritsar-Chogawan Road. He was the eldest son of Sardar Bhagwan Singh and Pritam Kaur, and had three brothers and a sister. He was sent to the Khalsa College in Amritsar for secondary education, and later to the Government College in Lahore for higher education.

In 1942, an officers selection team visiting Lahore colleges recruited Singh to the Indian Army officers cadre. After training in the Indian Military Academy, he was commissioned in the Garhwal Rifles as a Second Lieutenant. Within a few days the Regiment moved to Burma and joined the war against the Japanese, which was then in progress. In 1945 when the war ended, he was in Malaya with his unit. After partition, when reorganization of the regiments took place, he joined the Parachute Brigade as a Paratrooper. He was posted in the 1st Para (Special Force) Battalion Parachute Regiment in which he remained till 1959. He commanded the 3/11 Gorkha Rifles.

After his dismissal, Singh joined Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. He organised the sikh rebels present at the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar in June 1984. He was killed in Operation Blue Star.