Bhubaneswar: Retired Army veteran Basant Kumar Mahapatra, who fought four major wars including Goa Liberation and the 1962 Indo-China war, passed away here Monday. He was 88. According to family sources, his body will be taken to his residence at Chandini Chowk in Cuttack.
Major General BK Mahapatra was commissioned into armoured corps (Tanks) of the Indian Army as a Combat Officer. Later on he served holding many key positions in his four decade-long service period.
The four wars he had participated in were the 1961 Goa Liberation war, the 1962 Indo-China war, the 1965 India-Pakistan war and 1971 Bangladesh liberation war in which Indian soldiers forced the Pakistani soldiers to leave Bangladesh.
In the 1971 war against Pakistan, Mahapatra led his troops and captured crucial territories in Bangladesh.
Mahapatra was conferred with the most prestigious Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM). In the years following his superannuation from service, he had been managing some reputed institutions. Among them were Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Centre for Communication and Management (BCCM), Bhubanaswar and DAV Public Schools in Cuttack and Tangi.
Mahapatra was also the vice-president of ‘Think Tank Foundation’, Odisha and chief advisor to ‘Swabhiman’. The second one is an organisation which helps differently-abled children.
They apart, he was the President of India’s nominee in Executive Council of Allahabad University (Central University) and visiting Professor in University of Lucknow, University of Allahabad and Banaras Hindu University.
PNN
