Indian Army honors 1965 war veteran Kanwar Sain Bakshi on 100th birthday

NEW DELHI, June 13, 2026:- The Indian Army honored retired Colonel Kanwar Sain Bakshi on his 100th birthday, celebrating the milestone of one of the most distinguished veterans of the MAHAR Regiment.

As the Commanding Officer of 2 MAHAR during the historic 1965 Battle of Asal Uttar, Bakshi led his battalion through a pivotal campaign that resulted in the unit receiving the Battle Honour Asal Uttar and Theatre Honour Punjab.

His leadership extended to a record seven-and-a-half-year tenure as the Commandant of the MAHAR Regimental Centre, where he shaped generations of personnel and oversaw the historic Presentation of Colours in 1970.

Following the 1971 War, he also established and supervised one of the largest Prisoner of War camps in Dhana, Madhya Pradesh, which housed more than 15,000 prisoners.

On this occasion, the Colonel of the MAHAR Regiment conveyed the collective gratitude of the military fraternity, praising the centenarian veteran as an enduring example of devotion to duty, loyalty, and national service.