G. D. Bakshi

Major General Gagandeep Bakshi (SM, VSM), or G. D. Bakshi, is a retired Indian army officer.^[1] He is from the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles. GaganDeep Bakshi A veteran of many skirmishes on the Line of Control and of counter-terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, he was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal for commanding a battalion in operations in Kargil.^[2] Later, Major General G.D Bakshi ji commanded a brigade in counter-terror operations in the rugged mountains of Kishtwar, for which he was awarded the Sena Medal for distinguished service. He subsequently commanded the Romeo Force during intensive counter-terrorist operations in the Rajouri-Punch Districts of Jammu and Kashmir and succeeded in pacifying the area.^[3] He has served two tenures at the Directorate General of Military Operations and was the first BGS (IW) at HQ Northern Command (India), where he dealt with Information Warfare and Psychological Operations.^[4][5]

Military career

Maj Gen(Dr) GD Bakshi, SM, VSM(retd) is a combat veteran of many skirmishes on the LC and Counter-Terrorist operations in J&K and Punjab. He commanded his battalion in active operations in Kargil and was awarded the Vishist  Seva Medal. Later he commanded a brigade in Counter-Terrorist operations in the very rugged mountains of Kishtwar and was awarded the Sena Medal for his distinguished services. He subsequently commanded the reputed Romeo Force during intensive Counter-Terrorist operations in the Rajouri-Punch Districts of J&K in the wake of Op Sarp Vinash and succeeded in pacifying the area. He has served two tenures at the highly prestigious Directorate General of Military Operations (during Op Pawan and Op Vijay) and was the first BGS (IW) at HQ Northern Command where he dealt with Information Warfare and Psychological Operations.

Early life and education

Bakshi was born in a Punjabi family and educated at St. Aloysius Hr. Secondary School in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.^[6] GaganDeep Bakshi is the younger brother of Captain Raman Bakshi, who was the first martyr in 1965 India-Pakistan War at the young age of 23 years.^[7][8] In acknowledgment of Raman's sacrifice, the route to Katanga in Jabalpur where Bakshi's bungalow is located, was named Raman Bakshi Marg.^[9] Bakshi graduated from school in 1966. He joined the National Defence Academy in June 1967 (a year and a half after his elder brother was martyred) Though selected as an Airforce Cadet, Bakshi switched to Army to serve in the same unit, where his father and brother had served the Indian Army.^[10] Soon after graduating from the Indian Military Academy on 14 November 1971, Bakshi was called into action at the outbreak of hostilities in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

After retirement

He is a prolific writer on matters military and non-military and has published 24 books and over 110 papers in many prestigious research journals. His articles have also been published in various National Newspapers. He taught at the Indian Military Academy Dehradun and the Prestigious Defence Services Staff College at Wellington for three years each. He taught at the National Defense College at New Delhi for two years and retired from this prestigious assignment in June 2008.   He holds a Masters degree in Defence Science and an M Phil in Strategic Studies from the University of Madras. He recently completed his Ph.d from the same University on” Limited Wars in South Asia”.

He is an Associate member of the IDSA and a distinguished fellow of the Centre for Air Power Studies. He has taken over as the Editor-in-Chief of the Defence and Security Alert magazine. His books include, “Afghanistan-the First Fault line War”,  “War in the 21st Century”, “The Indian Art Of War”, “The  Paradox of Pakistan” , “The Rise of Indian Military Power: Evolution of an Indian Strategic Culture “and “Limited Wars in South Asia.”^[11]

Public Speaking

Maj Gen GD Bakshi is a regular on Prime Time debates on Indian Television and mostly speaks on tackling cross-border terrorism. He gave a speech on Aug 11, 2016 at IIT Chennai on the subject "National Security and History of Indian Army", as part of Extra Mural Lecture Series. Bakshi mentioned peace with Pakistan would come at a cost to India and advised eternal vigilance would be needed on India's part to maintain peace.^[12] The speech triggered protests from left-wing affiliated students, who opposed General's speech and claimed that his speech was filled with hatred and hate mongering.^[13] He has also been accused of mocking Indian Freedom Fighters.^[14][15] In a video which surfaced on social media, Maj Gen GD Bakshi is seen mocking Mahatma Gandhi and other freedom fighters.^[16][17]

Selected publications

• Bakshi, G. D. (2015). China's Military Power: A Net Assessment. Centre for Land Warfare Studies. ISBN 9789383649396. OCLC 903345328. 
• Bakshi, G. D. (2013). Kishtwar Cauldron: The Struggle against the ISI's Ethnic Cleansing. Pentagon Press. ISBN 9788182747364. OCLC 864543669. 
• Bakshi, G. D. (2010). Limited Wars in South Asia: Need for an Indian Doctrine. Centre for Land Warfare Studies. ISBN 9789380502458. OCLC 678542539. 
• Bakshi, G. D. (2010). The Rise of Indian Military Power: Evolution of an Indian Strategic Culture. KW Publishers. ISBN 9788187966524. OCLC 473662691. 
• Bakshi, G. D. (1999). Afghanistan, the First Fault-Line War. Lancer Publishers. ISBN 1897829493. OCLC 41213913. 
• Bakshi, G. D. (1990). Mahabharata, a Military Analysis. Lancer International. ISBN 8170620945. OCLC 39223360. 
• Bakshi, G. D. (2016). Bose: The Indian Samurai - Netaji and the Ina a Military Assessment. ISBN 9383649925, 9789383649921.^[18]

References

^{[19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33]}

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