Team News Riveting
New Delhi, February 19
Retired Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Bhupendra Kumar Bishnoi, who led the mission as Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot to bomb Pakistan Government House at Dacca during the 1971 war, died on Saturday.
His family hailed from Fazilka in Punjab. He was commissioned into the IAF in 1953.
A Wing Commander during the 1971 war, he was awarded the third highest war-time gallantry award Vir Chakra. This was his second Vir Chakra; the first being during the 1965 Indo-Pak war.
During the 1971 war he was commanding officer of the IAF squadron in the eastern sector. According to Bharat Raksha, during the India-Pakistan conflict in December 1971, Wing Commander Bhupendra Kumar Bishnoi was in command of an operational Fighter Squadron in the Eastern Sector. He led the first two Bombing mission over Tezgaon airfield and undeterred by heavy ground fire, he hit Tazgaon runway and also destroyed a large transport aircraft on the ground.
During one of these Bombing missions, his aircraft was hit by a heavy shell and sustained severe damage. Notwithstanding this, he pressed home the attack. On the 14th December, 1971, he raided military targets in Dacca inspite of intense ground fire. His attacks on the Government House at Dacca and other targets were carried out with accuracy. During the missions in support of Indian army, he led 10 sorties against heavily defended enemy positions in the Comilla Sector and destroyed enemy Bunkers and strongholds.
During the 1965 war with Pakistan he was based at Halwara, Punjab and was part of the counter attack which bombed an ammunition carrying Pakistan train Raiwind railway station. He carried out 16 operational missions in the Kasur/Lahore sector.
He destroyed or damaged at least 10 enemy tanks and his aircraft was hit on three different occasions by the enemy ground fire, his citation read.
