Remembering a hero named Abdul Hamid

Emblazoned on one wing of an army building in the Cantonment area of Bangalore was the name, ‘Abdul Hamid Barracks’. A few years ago, due to renovation perhaps, the placard was removed. Who was Abdul Hamid, I asked myself. He was, it was apparent, a great soldier who had served his country faithfully and well. A little research yielded the moving and inspiring story of a very brave man — a modern-day hero.

Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid was a soldier in the 4th Grenadiers, Indian Army and went down fighting in the Khem Karan sector during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965. Even as a child, he was no stranger to the traditions and rigours of army life. His father was Lance Naik Usman Farooqi.

In 1965, when war broke out between India and Pakistan, Abdul Hamid had already completed ten years of service in the Indian army and won the Saniya Seva medal, Samai Seva medal and the Raksha medal. The enemy’s offensive was aimed at Aknoor in Jammu. Their goal was to cut off communication and supply routes to the Indian forces on the border of Jammu and Kashmir. The 4th Grenadiers occupied a vital area near Chima village on the road to Khem Karan. Firm hold of this area was essential for the Indian plan of defence. On September 8, the enemy made repeated attacks on the Grenadiers’ position, but was repulsed each time. The most serious assault came when the enemy advanced with a regiment of Patton tanks. So intense was the attack that a shell littered every yard of ground occupied by the Indian battalion. Hamid was in command of a recoilless gun detachment. He moved out to a flank with his gun mounted on a jeep.

Intense enemy firing did nothing to deter him. From his new position he knocked out the leading tank with accurate fire. Then changing position, he disabled another. By now the enemy had spotted him and employed machine guns and explosives to bring him down. As he hit another enemy tank, he was mortally wounded by a high explosive shell.
Throughout this blistering attack, he had inspired his comrades to put up a gallant fight. The enemy was routed. They never made it past Khem Karan. Approximately 97 Pakistani tanks were destroyed or abandoned during this battle.

Abdul Hamid did not live to see the next day or share in the joy of victory that came after three days of intense fighting. He was awarded the highest military honour, the Param Vir Chakra, posthumously. His citation gives him credit for destroying three tanks. He had in fact destroyed seven.

Today he lies in a modest grave at a place commemoratively called Assal Uttar (‘Befitting Reply’). A fading plaque records his heroic deeds. He had stood up single-handedly in India’s most famous win in the 1965 War. According to the caretaker there, only a handful of visitors come on his death anniversary every September 10.

One can make a note some important developments, though. This decisive win exposed the vulnerability of the M 48 Patton Tanks. They had been supplied by the United States to Pakistan. They were withdrawn completely and replaced with M60 Patton Tanks. India set up a War Memorial in Khem Karan, where the captured Patton tanks are displayed.
A stamp was issued in Hamid’s honour in 2000. A television serial featuring Naseeruddin Shah was also produced. But by and large, today Hamid is a forgotten hero. His spirit fortunately lives on. Very few are probably aware that the intrepid social activist, Anna Hazare, was present and active during this period of valour and glory. A comrade of Abdul Hamid, his assignment was to carry firearms and bombs to the border. In the fierce
engagement all his fellow-soldiers became martyrs. He was the only survivor. It was an experience that affected him profoundly, making ‘Service to the Nation’ the moving force of his.

Very few are probably aware that the intrepid social activist, Anna Hazare, was present and active during this period of valour and glory. A comrade of Abdul Hamid, his assignment was to carry firearms and bombs to the border!