Officers of the Bihar Regiment, to which Lt Gen Kulwant Singh Mann (retd) belonged, remember him as a hardcore regimental officer who was a thorough gentleman. The 83-year old officer was killed in a hit-and-run accident near his home in Panchkula on Saturday.

“He was a senior Major when I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1970. Though very firm in his approach, he was very helpful and guided young officers benevolently,” Col SS Sohi (retd), who has served with the General said. “He was a fatherly figure and a docile gentleman who spoke kindly with everyone,” he added.

A veteran of the 1971 India-Pakistan War, he was commissioned into the Third Battalion of the Bihar Regiment in 1960. He later raised and commanded the Regiment’s 12th Battalion.

During the war, he was posted with 10 Bihar in the eastern theatre, where the battalion took part in the Battle of Akhaura, a crucial engagement in which the Indian Army captured the strategically important Pakistani town near Agartala.

Subsequently, he commanded two brigades, one at Twang in the east and the other at Dehradun. As Major General, he commanded the 22 Infantry Division in Meerut. As a Lieutenant General, he headed the Infantry School, Mhow, and retired as the Director General Infantry. Besides undergoing a foreign course in Australia, he was also the Colonel of the Bihar Regiment for several years.

“Post retirement, he remained actively associated with regimental affairs and participated in social activities and events,” Brig DK Mohan (retd), general secretary of the Bihar Regimental Association said. “He was also an excellent hockey player and during his service days, was captain of the regimental hockey team.”

Officers recalled that over a year ago, he drove all the way from Chandigarh to Gwalior along with his wife to attend the Platinum Jubilee of 3 Bihar, which had moved to the peace location after a stint in Siachen.

“Lt Gen Mann hails from a military family from Bathinda. One of his sons served with the Corps of Engineers before opting for premature retirement,” Brig Mohan said. His other son is a police officer in Canada.

Brig Kiran Kiran (retd), president of the local chapter of the Indian Ex-servicemen’s Movement has condoled Lt Gen Mann’s demise. “We used to meet and interact at different forums and it was always nice to talk to him on different subjects. Our fraternity is also urging the Panchkula Police to expedite its investigation into the unfortunate accident,” he added.

The General was reportedly hit by an unknown vehicle while he was taking a walk in Panchkula’s Mansa Devi Complex. Passers-by rushed him to the Command Hospital, Chandimandir, where he was diagnosed with head injuries, to which he succumbed. Sources said that CCTV footage from a petrol pump near the site of the accident has indicated that he was hit by an auto-rickshaw.