Lance Naik Albert Ekka of 14 Guards silenced two enemy machine guns at Gangasagar in December 1971 and died of his wounds after the objective fell.
Bunkers at Gangasagar
Lance Naik Albert Ekka was in the left forward company of 14 Guards when it attacked the fortified position at Gangasagar on the Eastern Front in December 1971. The attack became hand to hand fighting under shelling and small arms fire.
A light machine gun was causing heavy casualties in his company. Ekka charged the bunker, bayoneted two soldiers and silenced the gun. He was seriously wounded, and fought on through the mile deep objective.
Near its northern end a medium machine gun opened up from the second storey of a fortified building and held up the attack. Ekka crawled to the building and threw a grenade through the loophole, killing one man and injuring another. The gun kept firing. He scaled a side wall, entered the bunker and bayoneted the gunner.
He died of his wounds after the objective was captured.
The Date Left Blank
The Gazette notification left the effective date of the award blank. The National War Memorial gives the action as 4 December 1971; other published accounts give 3 December.
Gumla to the Guards
The Ministry of Defence portal lists his domicile as Gumla, Jharkhand, his parents as Zuluis Ekka and Mariam Tirkey, and his service number as 4239746.
The citation
Lance Naik Albert Ekka was in the left forward company of a Battalion of the Brigade of Guards during their attack on the enemy defence at Gangasagar on the Eastern Front. This was a well fortified position held in strength by the enemy. The assaulting troops were subjected to intense shelling and heavy small arms fire, but they charged on to the objective and were locked in bitter hand to hand combat. Lance Naik Albert Ekka noticed an enemy Light Machine Gun inflicting heavy casualties on his company. With complete disregard to his personal safety, he charged the enemy bunker, bayonetted two enemy soldiers and silenced the Light Machine Gun. Though seriously wounded in this encounter, he continued to fight alongside his comrades through the mile deep objective, clearing bunker after bunker with undaunted courage. Toward the northern end of the objective one enemy Medium Machine Gun opened up from the second storey of a well fortified building inflicting heavy casualties and holding up the attack. Once again this gallant soldier, without a thought to his personal safety, despite his serious injury and the heavy volume of enemy fire, crawled forward till he reached the building and lobbed a grenade through the loophole of the bunker, killing one enemy and injuring the other. The Medium Machine Gun, however, continued to fire. With outstanding courage and grim determination, Lance Naik Albert Ekka scaled a side wall and entering the bunker, bayonetted the enemy who was still firing and thus silenced the Machine Gun, saving further casualties to his company and ensured the success of the attack. In this process, however, he received serious injuries and succumbed to them after the capture of the objective.
In this action, Lance Naik Albert Ekka displayed the most conspicuous valur, determination and made the supreme sacrifice in the best traditions of the Army.
Source: Gazette of India. Reproduced as printed, including any errors in the original.
Cover image: Krishna Chaitanya Velaga, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for this page. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lance_Naik_Albert_Ekka_statue_at_Param_Yodha_Sthal_Delhi.jpg