Sitting in his recoilless gun-mounted jeep, Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid showed extreme bravery in the face of death. He took on an onslaught of enemy tanks over two days between 9 and 10 September during the war with Pakistan in 1965.
Hamid’s courage left an undeniable mark on India’s victory in the tank battle at Asal Uttar during the Monsoon War of 1965.
A month earlier, on a muggy 5 August morning, villagers from Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district had spotted Pakistani soldiers crossing the ceasefire line between the two countries and entering Indian territory. They informed the Army about the encroachment, and shortly after, began the Monsoon War of 1965 between India and Pakistan.
In the month-long war that ensued, the two nations sabre-rattled on land with tanks on the ground and fighter jets in the air. The war epitomised the territorial disputes that have jolted the subcontinent since Partition in 1947.
The battles were marked by the extraordinary valour of soldiers and officers who ensured India’s victory in the end. Hamid epitomised all the indefatigable characteristics that were central to India’s victory during the war.
Unveiling a memorial in honour of Abdul Hamid’s enduring legacy, former Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said in 2018, “Hamid is an inspiration for the youth, and his extraordinary bravery made the country proud.” He unveiled a bust in his honour in his hometown district of Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh and felicitated Hamid’s wife, Rasoolan Bibi, in his honour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, had paid homage to the Company Quarter Master at the memorial in 2015.
The build-up to Hamid’s heroics
As the war headed into September, the Army launched an offensive in Punjab to counter Pakistan in the Chamb sector of Jammu and Kashmir. To counter this attack, Pakistani tanks and troops were mobilised. The Pakistani army occupied Khem Karan, which was 5 km from the border. Its larger plan was to advance and capture the Grand Trunk Road.
Brigadier V.K. Vaid (retd), then-second lieutenant with the 4 Grenadiers, recalls, “If the Pakistanis had succeeded, they would pose a threat to large chunks of Indian territory and Amritsar and the GT Road.”
The Army’s 4th Infantry Division, which included the 4 Grenadiers, was deployed near Khem Karan. At the time, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Lieutenant General Harbaksh Singh ordered the Grenadiers on 8 September 1965 to be deployed at the village of Asal Uttar to deter any further Pakistani advances and defend Indian territory.
As the battle continued at Asal Uttar on the morning of 10 September 1965, Havildar Abdul Hamid moved out to a flanking position on his recoilless gun-mounted jeep while dealing with intense shelling from the Pakistani army.
He destroyed the enemy tanks and pivoted to another position in the sugarcane fields of the village and took out another enemy tank.
Given his exploits, the Pakistani tanks spotted him and targeted him with relentless machine-gun fire. Hamid kept countering and firing back on enemy tanks until an explosive shell hit him.
Lt. General Harbakhsh Singh recalled in his book, War Despatches, that the Grenadier hastily took up defensive positions at Asal Uttar and also planted anti-tank mines along the main approaches to the village.
The Army’s mini-documentary on Abdul Hamid, titled Story of CQMH Abdul Hamid, categorises that at Asal Uttar, “the Grenadiers faced the enemy with a clever defence plan”.
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A critical point
The Battle of Asal Uttar marked a critical point in the war—turning the momentum in India’s favour and ensuring victory. As the Pakistani army marched towards Asal Uttar, they were lured into a ‘horse-shoe’ trap set up by the Grenadiers.
The advance of the Patton tanks of Pakistan’s 1st Armoured Division was remarkably slowed as they entered the slushy sugarcane fields, which the Grenadiers had flooded overnight.
Unpacking the significance of the victory at Asal Uttar, Lt. General Harbakhsh Singh, explained that it deterred Pakistan’s plan to blitzkrieg further into Indian territory.
The bravery Hamid showed in destroying Pakistan tanks at Asal Uttar ensured his legend was etched into the pantheon of the Army.
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Army at 20
Born on 1 July 1933 in Dhampur in Uttar Pradesh, Hamid grew up in a family of eight. Having left school after class 8, he assisted his father at his tailor shop before joining the Army at the age of 20.
Thereon began his journey on the field. After training at the Grenadiers Regimental Centre at Nasirabad, he was posted to 4 Grenadiers in 1955.
He saw tumultuous times during both the 1962 India-China war and the 1965 Monsoon War. In his early years, he was posted with a rifle company and then with a recoilless platoon. In the 1962 war, he served in Thang-La, then a part of the North-East Frontier Agency.
Param Vir Chakra, memorial, and legacy
For his valour and bravery, Hamid was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), the highest wartime gallantry award conferred by the Union government on 10 September 1965.
The PVC citation stated, “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.”
While the citation noted that Hamid destroyed two tanks, there remains a lack of clarity on the exact number.
Abdul Hamid’s grave and a memorial in his honour are located on the outskirts of Cheema Khurd on the Khemkaran-Bhikkiwind road in the Tarn Taran district of Punjab. The 7th Infantry Division of the Army maintains both the grave and the memorial.
Hamid’s story epitomises the valour and selflessness of India’s brave hearts who toil day and night to secure the borders. His service is a small glimpse into the everyday sacrifice that keeps the cold peace going.
(Edited by Humra Laeeq)