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The Story of Abdul Hamid

                                                                                        (image taken from Wikipedia)

The story of Abdul Hamid

My favourite radio station is Vividh Bharati service of All India Radio (Akashvani) which plays some of the finest old Hindi film music heard on radio. My car radio is always tuned to this station. Not for me the mindless chatter and commercial-filled private FM stations. Vividh Bharati does not have too many advertisements and its announcers speak in a composed manner. They are “announcers”and not “radio jockeys” as the others prefer to call themselves. In fact, these radio jockeys are most of the time unintelligible and seem to be always in a hurry to finish and go somewhere.

Vividh Bharati has been doing yeoman service to our armed forces by dedicating programmes specially for their listening pleasure. One such programme is Jayamala which is broadcast every weekday evening from 7:05 to 7:45. I cannot remember any other programme in this time slot. In the days when there was no mobile telephony or internet, the radio would have been only handy source of news, entertainment and solace from the outside world available to our brave jawans stationed on our borders, sitting in their tents or bunkers on some remote mountain top at temperatures below freezing or in the desert in scorching heat, away from their families.

On Saturday evenings, Vividh Bharati broadcasts Vishesh Jayamala, a special Jayamala programme in the same time slot of 7:05 to 7:45, where personalities from the Hindi film industry are invited to speak to the soldiers and play some of their favourite songs.

Last Saturday, as I was driving home from work, the Vishesh Jayamala programme was on and it was not someone from the film industry speaking. Instead, it was a run-up to our Independence Day celebrations and the baritone voice of the announcer was telling us the story of Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid. Listening to the poignant account, my eyes misted over as I tried to feel and understand the sacrifice our soldiers made and continue to make.

Abdul Hamid was one such soldier. He hailed from a small village called Dhampur in Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh. He was barely twenty one years old when he was enrolled in the Grenadiers infantry regiment. He was later posted in the 4^th Battalion of the same regiment where he served all his short life. Hamid’s battalion had participated in the Sino-Indian war of 1962. After five years in the anti-tank section of the battalion, Hamid was promoted and became the Quartermaster, Stores of his company. But he was reverted to his earlier charge as the NCO commanding his battalion’s Recoil-less Rifle Platoon as he was the best 106mm recoil-less rifle shot in the battalion.

On 8^th September 1965, the Pakistani forces launched an attack on India on the area just ahead of Cheema Village on the Khem Karan – Bhikiwind – Amritsar road. Though the enemy made repeated attacks, the 4^th Grenadiers beat them off successfully. That day, Abdul Hamid destroyed two Pakistani Patton tanks.

Just two days later, on the morning of 10^th September 1965, Pakistani tanks once again attacked the Indian 4^th Grenadier positions in the Khem Karan sector. Abdul Hamid who was in a gun mounted jeep, spotted a group of Patton tanks advancing on his position. Without flinching in the face of the enemy shelling and firing, he advance towards the tanks and was successful in knocking out three Patton tanks. By then the enemy had spotted him and started concentrating fire on his jeep. Before he could engage the fourth tank in his sights, his jeep took a direct hit and he was mortally wounded. He lost his life but inspired his comrades to put up a fight and beat back the enemy.

Abdul Hamid destroyed a total of seven Patton tanks before laying down his life for the nation.

The Battle of Asal Uttar was one of the largest tank battles fought in the Indo-Pak war of 1965.This battle is compared with the battle of Kursk in the Second World War for how it changed the course of the India-Pakistan war of 1965 in India's favour. (Battle of Asal Uttar - Wikipedia)

Within a week of this battle that cost him his life, Abdul Hamid was honoured by a grateful nation with the Param Vir Chakra, the highest military decoration of the Republic of India. The award was announced on 16^th September 1965 and presented to his wife, Rasoolan Bibi by the then President of India, Sri. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, during the Republic Day Parade on 26^th January 1966.

I salute our brave soldiers!

The Param Vir Chakra citation on the official Indian Army website reads as follows:

CITATION

COMPANY QUARTERMASTER HAVILDAR ABDUL HAMID

4 GRENADIERS (NO 2639985)

At 0800 hours on 10 September 1965 Pakistan forces launched an attack with a regiment of Patton tanks on a vital area ahead of village Cheema on the Bhikkiwind road in the Khem Karan Sector. Intense artillery shelling preceded the attack. The enemy tanks penetrated the forward position by 0900 hours. Realising the grave situation, Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid who was commander of a RCL gun detachment moved out to a flanking position with his gun mounted on a jeep, under intense enemy shelling and tank fire. Taking an advantageous position, he knocked out the leading enemy tank and then swiftly changing his position, he sent another tank up in flames. By this time the enemy tanks in the area spotted him and brought his jeep under concentrated machine-gun and high explosive fire. Undeterred, Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid kept on firing on yet another enemy tank with his recoilless gun. While doing so, he was mortally wounded by an enemy high explosive shell.

Havildar Abdul Hamid’s brave action inspired his comrades to put up a gallant fight and to beat back the heavy tank assault by the enemy. His complete disregard for his personal safety during the operation and his sustained acts of bravery in the face of constant enemy fire were a shining example not only to his unit but also to the whole division and were in the highest traditions of the Indian Army.