This War Hero Fought Against Both China And Pak, Was Taken Prisoner in 1962

Brigadier Amar Jit Singh Behl, a veteran of the 1962 India-China war, died yesterday at the age of 82 at a military hospital in Haryana’s Chandimandir. Brigadier AJS Behl (retired) was a decorated officer who fought gallantly against the Chinese during the Battle of Namka Chu in the northeast and witnessed action in 1965 and 1971. Brig Behl died due to age-related issues and the last rites will take place in Chandigarh. He was commissioned into the army in 1961 as a second lieutenant and earned the prestigious maroon colours of the elite parachute regiment in 1962. In one of his interviews with Claude Arpi, a French historian and an expert on Tibet and China, Brig Behl talked about his journey from joining the Parachute Field Regiment to witnessing action in Arunachal Pradesh, erstwhile North East Frontier Agency (NEFA). He joined the 17 Parachute Field Regiment, an artillery regiment, after completing an officer’s course in July 1962 in Agra. He underwent a gruelling test and training procedure. By September 1962, he was a “full-fledged” paratrooper with para wings.