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199th Gunners Day: Ludhiana veteran recalls snapped supply lines that led to surrender of 93k Pak troops
Brigadier Gill was the first from his family to don the uniform, with his father Gajjan Singh serving as a mathematician and teacher. The tradition now continues with his son GS Gill currently serving in the army.
As the army prepares to celebrate the 199th Gunners Day on September 28, Brigadier Surinder Singh Gill (retd) — a decorated artillery officer — has reflected on his frontline role during the 1971 war that led to the liberation of Bangladesh.
Then a young gun position officer, Gill’s unit advanced 65 km inside East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the conflict. “With supply lines cut off, Pakistani troops had no choice but to surrender. Over 93,000 soldiers laid down their arms before our forces, making it the largest military surrender after World War II,” he recalled. The captured soldiers were later shifted to special prisoner of war camps across India.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in Haldwani, Gill was deployed to Rangpur–Dinajpur during the 1971 operations. “It was a defining chapter of my career,” he said. He went on to serve on multiple fronts, including Jammu and Kashmir when terrorism activities were at peak.
Brigadier Gill was the first from his family to don the uniform, with his father Gajjan Singh serving as a mathematician and teacher. The tradition now continues with his son GS Gill currently serving in the army.
Marking the significance of September 28, Brig Gill noted that the first artillery unit of the army, 5 Mountain Battery was raised in 1827, laying the foundation of what is today the army’s second-largest arm. He said that from the icy heights of Siachen to the deserts of Rajasthan, gunners have consistently delivered precise firepower, upholding their proud motto “Sarvatra Izzat O Iqbal” — “Everywhere with Honour and Glory.”
The Regiment has played a decisive role in all major operations, including the wars of 1947–48, 1962, 1965, 1971, the 1999 Kargil War, and counter-insurgency operations across Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, and the Northeast.
Though Ludhiana does not host an artillery unit, veteran gunners and their families will gather at the Ludhiana Defence Officers Institute on September 28 to mark Gunners Day with their annual commemorative dinner.
