Unyielding Valor

A salute to our jawans who sacrificed their lives for the nation.

Towards the end of 1954, a young man of 21, hailing from Dhamipur in the United Province (present-day UP) joined the Grenadiers Regiment of the Indian army. His father was a tailor who had to support a family of six. His son's recruitment came as a great relief to him. Fondly called Hamid by his colleagues, he served the army at several places from Amritsar and J&K to NEFA (Arunachal Pradesh) and Delhi.

In September 1965, Pakistan launched an all-out war against India. One of the theaters of action was Punjab. 250 Patton tanks crossed the international border and headed towards Khem Karan which is 63 km from Amritsar. The enemy set their sights on the Grand Trunk Road, a strategic highway connecting much of the Indian subcontinent to Central Asia.

Had they captured the road, they would have laid siege to large chunks of Indian territory besides posing a threat to Amritsar. To counter the threat, India’s fourth mountain division was deployed in Khem Karan supported by artillery, tanks, and foot soldiers. Hamid along with other jawans of the 4th battalion of Grenadiers, who had earlier participated in the battle of Namka Chu in the 1962 China war found himself in the thick of action.

As a part of a well-planned strategy, the Indian army fell back to the village of Asal Uttar and regrouped in a U formation. The Pakistanis were unaware of the 'Horse Shoe Trap', walked into it. Besides, a compact defense was in place on the road to Cheema. Hidden in the sugarcane fields, the Indians could see a formation of Pakistani tanks advancing toward the Indian territory. The soldiers lying in wait struck from all sides. Though the beleaguered enemy brought in reinforcements, they ran into stiff resistance. The battle continued. Hamid single-handedly destroyed many enemy tanks.

On the 3rd day of the battle (10th Sept), Havildar Hamid atop his open jeep with an RCL (recoil-less) gun came face to face with a Pakistani tank. Before he could engage the enemy, a burst of fire from the tank brought an end to India’s brave son. The soldier who led a small platoon armed with an RCL proved more than a match to the Pakistani tanks.

Havildar Abdul Hamid was awarded the nation’s highest gallantry award – The Param Vir Chakra. The soldier is no more. But to this day, his heroics at Khem Karan continue to inspire many young soldiers to defend their motherland to their last breath.

Kehte hai alvida, Hum ab is jahan ko.

Pic Credit - Opindia

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