Lt Gen. Hanut Singh — bold commander who led from front in 1971, but was never made Army chief Five years ago, Lt Gen. Hanut Singh passed away. But ‘Hunty’ is still one of the most revered leaders in the Army who stood up for what was right. LT GEN. A.K. SINGH (RETD) 13 April, 2020 3:44 pm IST File photo | Lt Gen. Hanut Singh (centre) in the 1971 war | AGDPI | Facebook Text Size: A- A+ The fifth death anniversary of the legendary Lt General Hanut Singh didn’t go unnoticed on social media. Much has been written about him, his regiment Poona Horse and his professionalism. But I want to highlight those aspects of ‘Hunty’ and his life from which today’s and tomorrow’s military leaders can draw lessons. Gen. Hanut Singh was a bold commander, a legendary cavalry general, a considerate senior, and his finest moment was in the 1971 war. The battle of Basantar, Shakargarh Bulge in 1971 Without a doubt, the Battle of Basantar was Gen. Hanut Singh’s finest hour. He led his famed regiment, Poona Horse, into one of the fiercest tank battles on the sub-continent. His key decision to risk the regiment across an uncleared minefield proved to be the battle-winning factor. When Pakistan’s 13 Lancers with Patton Tanks attacked the Indian position at Jarpal, they were surprised and destroyed by the Centurions of Poona Horse. Lt Arun Khetarpal posthumously won a Param Vir Chakra, and Comdt Hanut, a Maha Vir Chakra. His citation read: “Undeterred by enemy medium artillery tank fire, Lt. Col Hanut Singh, moved from threatened sector to another, with utter disregard for his personal safety. His presence and cool courage inspired his men to remain steadfast and perform commendable acts of gallantry”. His heroic leadership and battlefield intuition have cemented Hunty’s place as one of our most valiant and professional battlefield tank commanders in the Indian Armoured Corps. But it wasn’t just about Gen. Hanut Singh. It was also the very fine teams he trained, each more daring than the last and imbibed with a special ‘Poona Horse Spirit’, which was the hallmark of the brave regiment. Lt Gen. Balraj Takhar, who was Hanut Singh’s Adjutant in the 1971 war, said: “He inspired fierce loyalty and courage; the officers and men ready to unhesitatingly carry out the most hazardous tasks. His command style was very personal, he knew each tank commander and was always in full control of the regiment, leaving the other tasks of maintaining rear links to higher HQs to me. His battlefield intuition was outstanding and he knew this was the moment he had trained for all his life.” In fact, such was Gen Hanut Singh’s influence on his team that later when I was Col. GS to Bali Takhar in a major exercise, ‘Shiv Shakti’ in 1998-99, he was almost identical in his leadership style. Even Lt Gen. Ajai Singh, was similarly influenced, as I discovered while serving as a young General Staff Officer-3 on his staff. .