For his daring act of bravery in leading the charge despite being gravely wounded, Capt Umaid Singh Mahra was awarded Ashok Chakra in 1972
Our battalion 19 Rajputana Rifles moved to Nagaland in late 1970. Insurgency was active. We occupied a string of posts. As Adjutant, I was located at the battalion headquarters in Jessami. Our 2IC having been wounded and evacuated, I was also doing that job, being next in seniority. By a strange coincidence, on the day of the operation, the Commanding Officer too was away on short leave and I was officiating CO.
On July 5, 1971, Capt Umaid Singh Mahra called me on radio from his Kizare post in the Sema area. While attending Sunday church service the previous evening, Capt Mahra had noticed an unfamiliar face and had brought him to the post. During overnight interrogation, the man had confessed that he was an active underground (UG) soldier posted to a self-styled brigade HQ. He was then ‘persuaded’ into leading us to the camp.
The indicated camp location fell in the area of our neighbouring battalion. It was rare to get such a vital lead. Any sharing of this information outside the strict need-to-know loop could jeopardise success. I, therefore, did not inform our brigade headquarters or the battalion concerned (my elder brother was their 2IC). Any risk of a friendly patrol clash was worth taking.
I asked Mahra to move immediately. The indicated location was nearly 14 hours of walking distance from Kizare. It also culminated into climbing a steep hill. The plan was to raid at dawn so that any escapees could be easily apprehended in daylight; this was the standard Army tactic.
A rivulet had to be crossed before starting the climb. Because of monsoon, it was in spate. The party kept moving upstream to find a shallow crossable site. This caused delay.
Having reached the top, the party of Company less a platoon, moved along the thickly wooded crest, taking all precautions against a possible ambush. The guide had his hands tied at the back and was secured with a rope. It was nearly 6:30 am and the party was still moving. Luckily, because of rain and thick fog, visibility was limited to a few metres, creating near-darkness conditions. Since it was well past the planned raiding time, there was palpable disenchantment among the men, who were out practically every third night searching for the elusive UGs.
At one point, the guide became visibly restive and sat down. It was clear the camp was close by. On being prodded, he vaguely waived a hand towards one of the slopes. Capt Mahra, with a small party of four, started descending in the indicated direction for confirmatory reconnaissance. It was very steep and they had to literally sit on their rumps and glide down. The undergrowth was waist high.
Suddenly, they came upon the well camouflaged camp barely 15 feet away, hidden in a depression. The sentry spotted the raiding party, raised an alarm and opened fire. Capt Mahra was hit in the abdomen. Undaunted, and despite being wounded, he charged into the camp firing from his hip and exhorting his party. He shot the sentry through the head, killing him instantly. Some UGs were injured and fled down into the thick jungle, leaving a blood trail. They were rounded up subsequently.
The actual shootout lasted barely a few seconds, with the UGs running away confusedly. A total of 13 weapons, including a light machine gun, a large quantity of ammunition and important documents were captured.
The brigade headquarters was now informed and I asked for air evacuation of Capt Mahra. Poor visibility precluded helicopter flying. He had to be brought down on an improvised stretcher slowly along a trackless precipitous slope. Unfortunately, before he could reach the waiting ambulance on the road, Capt Mahra succumbed to his injury at 2:30 pm; his liver had been ruptured.
The GOC flew in the next morning to congratulate the battalion. He termed the success of the raid and the haul unprecedented.
The timing of the raid, the actual number involved at the point of contact, non-deployment of the usual support and cut-off groups, etc, made the raid totally unconventional. The UGs, who were well aware of our modus operandi, were taken totally by surprise.
For his daring act of bravery in leading the charge despite being gravely wounded, Capt Umaid Singh Mahra was deservedly awarded the Ashok Chakra. His young widow received it from the President on the Republic Day, 1972.
This was the first Ashok Chakra in our regiment, the Rajputana Rifles.