Capt E. J. Tucker of 2 Maratha Light Infantry was killed charging an ambush in the Naga Hills on 2 August 1957 after running short of ammunition.
Ambush near Milestone 70
On 2 August 1957, Captain Eric James Tucker was leading a platoon through dense jungle in the Naga Hills. Near Milestone 70, insurgents hidden with automatic weapons opened fire.
He was seriously wounded in the face and legs and refused to withdraw. He went on directing the fight and returning fire. With nearly all his ammunition gone, he charged the ambush to break it and protect his men. A burst of automatic fire killed him.
Chipokatami and the Road to Meluri
He commanded 'B' Company, 2nd Battalion, The Maratha Light Infantry, and had been in the Naga Hills for some time. In 1956 he opened the supply route from Chakabama to Phek, 42 miles, and on to Meluri, another 20.
On 1 April 1957, acting on intelligence, he led a night operation through jungle to Chipokatami and captured four armed men and their weapons. On 18 July he manoeuvred against insurgent positions, inflicting heavy casualties and taking prisoners.
Tucker, service number IC-5034, was born on 21 October 1927 and commissioned on 13 July 1947. He is described as the first Ashoka Chakra recipient from Odisha, with Cuttack as his birthplace. The posthumous award was listed on Republic Day 1958.
What the citation recorded
The official citation could not be read for this article. An archived entry on the Defence Ministry's portal carries only a line naming the award and Nagaland. Secondary profiles say the citation covered two actions, a manoeuvre against insurgent positions on 18 July 1957 and the ambush of 2 August 1957, in which he fought on although wounded in the face and legs. This is a summary, not the official wording.
Cover image: Robert Prummel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for this page. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ashoka_Chakra_India_De_drie_medailles_van_voor_1967.jpg