Suhas Biswas | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Flt Lt Suhas Biswas | |
| Born | (1924-09-09)9 September 1924 Calcutta,British India |
| Died | 1 September 1957(1957-09-01) (aged 32) Nilgiri mountains range |
| Allegiance |  British Raj India |
| Service | Royal Indian Air Force Indian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1944-1957 |
| Rank |  Flight Lieutenant |
| Awards |  Ashoka Chakra |
Flight LieutenantSuhas Biswas,AC (9 September 1924 – 1 September 1957) was an officer in theIndian Air Force who was the first Air Force Officer to be awarded theAshoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime military award, in the year of 1953. He was also the first person fromWest Bengal to receive the award.[1][2][3]
Suhas Biswas was born in aBengaliChristian family inKolkata,West Bengal, the son of Samuel Biswas and Diana Biswas. After completing his education Biswas joined the Indian Air Force as a pilot in 1944 and became a commissioned officer.[4][5]
In 1952 Biswas was working in a Communication Flight unit inLucknow. On 3 February 1952 senior army officials were returning toNew Delhi after an official visit. Biswas was in control of their aircraft. Soon after it took off a crew member observed an engine malfunction; subsequently a fire broke out. Biswas first tried to extinguish it, but it was getting difficult to control the aircraft. He made a belly landing atSandila village in Uttar Pradesh and saved the lives of all the passengers. Biswas was awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime military decoration.[1]
Biswas died in a crash on 1 September 1957 in theNilgiri Mountains while flying a Dakota aircraft towardsMangalore on an operational mission.[2]