
By Asia Samachar | Malaysia |
Brigadier General Jagjit Singh, the senior most ranking serving Sikh in the Malaysian armed forces, has been appointed as the Commander of the 13th Infantry Brigade based in Lahad Datu, Sabah.
Jagjit took over the command of the infantry brigade today (Jan 6) from Brig Gen Hashim Osman in a ceremony presided by 5th Division Commander Major General Noorrul Azril Ariffin.
The 13th Infantry Brigade was formed in 2019 after the 2013 Lahad Datu incident when Sulu armed militia from southern Philippines staged an armed attack on the east coast of Sabah.
In 2012, Ranjit Singh Ramday, then a 57-year-old brigadier-general, was appointed as the Commander of the Lok Kawi-based Fifth Infantry Brigade in Sabah, making him the first Sabahan, as well as the first Sikh, to assume the post of commander in the brigade’s history. Ranjit, who had served as the Commander of the army’s 1 Division in East Malaysia, retired as a major general.
Jagjit, 57, was made a one star general on Dec 30, 2023.
Born on 17 April 1967 in Batu Arang, Selangor, he was raised in Batang Berjuntai, now called Bestari Jaya. Jagjit’s father, Indar Singh, worked as a tin miner and his mother Mohinder Kaur was a homemaker to a family of 5 sons and a daughter.
Jagjit is married to Kiranjeet Kaur, a former leading stewardess with Malaysia Airlines. The couple has two sons, Harveer Singh and Rajveer Singh, both pursuing their undergraduate studies in business and law, respectively.
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Malaysia gets a one star Sikh general (Asia Samachar, 30 Dec 2023)
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