‘Victor of Basantar’ Lt Gen Pinto passes away at 97

Pune Lieutenant General Walter Anthony Gustavo “WAG” Pinto, former General Officer in the Indian Army, breathed his last on the night March 25

Pune Lieutenant General Walter Anthony Gustavo “WAG” Pinto, former General Officer in the Indian Army, breathed his last on the night March 25. He was 97. Gen Pinto last served as the 8th General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Command. As Major General, he had led the 54th Infantry Division on the western front in the Indo-Paki War of 1971, for which he was awarded the prestigious Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM). His son Kevin said that the last rites would be held at AFMC mortuary on Sunday morning.

Lieutenant General Walter Anthony Gustavo last served as the 8th General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Command. (HT PHOTO)

He was born on July 1, 1924, at Poona, Bombay Presidency, to Alexander Pinto, who worked in the military accounts department and Helen Agnes Pinto. Alexander belonged to the Gustave Pinto branch of the Pintos of Santa Cruz, Goa, which was then part of Portuguese India. Pinto was the youngest of three children. His elder brother, Sydney Alexander, was an Indian Army officer who was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers as a Bombay Sapper. His elder sister, Phyllis Mary, served in the women’s Auxiliary Corps, India and later in Burma.

Pinto completed his school education in Bengaluru, Pune and St Aloysius Senior Secondary School, Jabalpur from where he passed his senior Cambridge school leaving certificate with 4 Ds (distinctions). He attended college at Robertson College Jabalpur, where he joined D Company, 10th Nagpur Battalion, University Training Corps (UTC).

After clearing the preliminary and final selection boards held at Jabalpur and Lucknow respectively, Gen Pinto joined the pre-cadet course at Datta College, Lahore in January 1943. In March 1943, he joined the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun for a six-month emergency commission training course. Pinto was commissioned into the 13th Frontier Force Rifles and had the distinction of being one of only four cadets who earned a commission in the infantry among the two hundred and more cadets committed into the armed forces at that time.

Lt Gen BT Pandit (retd), Vir Chakra awardee who fought the 1971 Indo-Pak war under his leadership has fond memories of his raw courage, bravery and alertness to share. Lt Gen Pandit said, “Lt Gen Wag Pinto was a very special army commander the like of whom we may not see in a hurry. The battle of Basantar was one of the longest ground battles fought by the Indian Army under the dynamic and brave leadership of Lt Gen WAG Pinto — “The Victor of Basantar”. The Battle of Basantar was one of the biggest ground battles ever fought by the Indian Army.”

“He had an impactful leadership. The fourteen days of fierce fighting, produced a mind boggling 196 gallantry awards for our soldiers and officers. This included 2 Param Vir Chakras (Late 2nd Lt Arun Khetrapal was one of them) and 9 Mahavir Chakras (Late Gen Vaidya of Operation Blue Star fame was one of them),” the war veteran said.

“During the 1971 war, I was Lieutenant Colonel and Lt Gen WAG Pinto was my G-O-C as he was commanding 54 infantry Division. Under his command, we launched the offensive after December 3, crossed three strong minefields, defeated all enemy en route and from December 15 to December 17, a very decisive battle of Basantar was fought where we forced the enemy to react to our attack. By our move into the heartland, the enemy forced its reserves out which we destroyed completely in the battle which lasted for three days. This forced Pakistan to accept ceasefire. In this battle, sixty enemy tanks were destroyed,” Lt Gen Pandit said.

Lauding his humble qualities, Lt Gen Pandit described the late General as a very aggressive person on the battlefield who was always with the troops ahead and not in the headquarters. “Under his leadership, the troops did extremely well. He lived a full life and was oriented till the end. He had a fine sense of humour and stood for the nation, the army and the people of the country,” he said. The late General had penned his war exploits in memoirs in a short, crisp book “Bash on Regardless”.