India, Dec. 15 -- Tomorrow, we will celebrate the 54th Victory Day. On December 16, 1971, close to 100,000 Pakistan soldiers surrendered to the Indian Army. Bangladesh was born, and post-Partition Pakistan lost a chunk of its territory. To whom would you attribute this great military success? Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, lieutenant-general Jagjit Singh Aurora, lieutenant-general JFR Jacob or then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi? But, do you remember who India's defence minister was at the time? And, who was the Indian Army general who went against the orders of the headquarters and forced Pakistan general AAK Niazi to surrender? The unsung heroes reflect the tragic mysteries of history. Some of us may be aware that the Indian military brass divided the Army locked in combat with East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) into four corps. General Sagat Singh was commanding the 4th Corps. He was tasked to enter East Pakistan from along the border in the northeastern states. It was a tough task. Dozens of rivers, rivulets, jungles, swamps and rugged terrain marked this approach. Conventional wisdom dictated that the Army had to cross cities like Bhawanipur, Akhaura, and Memonsingh. Niazi had heavily fortified these cities to bog down Indian forces. Considering natural obstacles as his advantage, Niazi left them unguarded. This was his mistake - General Sagat Singh was known for moving through unconventional approaches with blinding speed. Sagat Singh's orders were clear: "Avoid fortifications, quickly encircle them and dash towards Dhaka". His forces ignored the cities, crossing the rivers and rugged terrain to overwhelm Bangladesh's hinterland instead. By the time Pakistan's military realised its folly, it was too late. Within no time, Indians reached the banks of the Meghna, known for its great depth and width. He was ordered to stay put on the banks of Meghna. But it was impossible to stop Sagat Singh in this theatre of war. Squadron Leader Pushp Vaid and Major Chandrakant Singh, who participated in "Operation Meghna", recall the episode in their books, MI-4s at War and Meghna. Sagat Singh told his officers that building a bridge across the Meghna could take weeks. Instead, he proposed a bold plan - dropping soldiers behind enemy lines with helicopters. It seemed like a logistical nightmare. The high command hadn't given a go-ahead to this risky proposition. Ferrying heavy equipment and soldiers in helicopters would make them sitting ducks for the alert enemy. The operation exemplified Sagat Singh's courage and willingness to take risks to win. His officers pulled out all the stops. They removed helicopter seats to make space for more equipment. Soldiers sat precariously, without safety belts. Many times, the helicopters came under enemy fire. One was hit 38 times. But they kept running their sorties. Engineers would work on landed helicopters, and others would fly. While they fixed the machine, the pilot would rest, and eat. In no time, 6,000 Indian soldiers had crossed the Meghna and were on their way to Dhaka. They were about to reach when Sagat Singh was told to turn back. His terse reply - "Over my dead body" - was a breach of the military code of conduct, but reflected the highest standards of the soldier code. The Pakistan camp was in utter panic. The moment Niazi realised he was boxed in from two sides, he surrendered. It wouldn't have been possible without Sagat Singh. It really lifted the morale of India's Army and its citizens. This wasn't Sagat Singh's first such action. Earlier, he had given the Chinese a bloody nose in Nathu La. The defeat against China in 1962 had demoralised the Indian Army. Some years later, Sagat Singh was posted on the northern borders as the commander. Upon receiving information that the Chinese army was about to cross the borders, he moved enough soldiers to thwart any such move; sensing a conflict, he also moved the artillery. In those days, permission from the headquarters was necessary to move artillery to the border areas. But Sagat Singh moved without such clearance. Four times more Chinese soldiers died than Indian ones in that stand-off. This gave both the Army and the government the confidence that India could take on even the strongest opponent. Also, in December 1962, Sagat Singh, using speed and guile, quickly secured a victory in Goa against the Portuguese. He's one of those rare generals of India who defeated three foreign armies. But he never got the recognition he deserved. The intransigence he showed for the benefit of the country proved to be his Achilles heel. But what was defence minister Babu Jagjivan Ram's fault? What was the reason for his inglorious omission from one of India's glorious chapters?...