Captain Ummed Singh Mahra of the Rajputana Rifles was fatally wounded leading a charge on a hostile camp in Nagaland on 6 July 1971.
Thirty Yards from the Camp
At about 0545 hours on 6 July 1971, a column of the Rajputana Rifles stopped some 500 yards short of a hostile camp in the Nagaland jungle. It had marched through the night, 12 hours over hilly ground, and had crossed two nullahs in spate.
Captain Ummed Singh Mahra was second in command. The column split into three parties, one in reserve and two to attack from different directions at once. His party was about 30 yards out when a sentry opened fire.
He ordered his men to fire and led the charge with his Sten carbine. He shot the sentry and was hit in the abdomen and right hand. Bleeding heavily, he kept urging his men on. The second party entered from the other side, and the group in the camp fled under fire from both directions, leaving arms, ammunition and documents.
A Suspect in the Village
The raid began with an arrest. Two days earlier, Mahra had detained a man in a Nagaland village on suspicion of supplying the camp. The man agreed to guide troops there. Mahra reported to Battalion Headquarters and volunteered to go with the column, whose information put the party in the jungle at about 30 men.
He died of his wounds. The official awards record gives his domicile as Almora and his service number as IC-17696. The award appeared in the Gazette of India on 29 January 1972.
The citation
On 4th July, 1971, Captain Ummed Singh Mahra, while on duty in a village in Nagaland, apprehended a person on suspicion of suplying rations and providing other assistance to a party of hostiles camping in a thick jungle in the vicinity of the village. The suspect agreed to lead the troops to the hostile camp. Captain Mahra informed his Battalion Headquarters and volunteered to accompany the column being sent to raid the hostile camp. According to the available information, the strength of the hostile party was approximately 30 and they were equipped with Light Machine Gun and Rifles. On 5th July, 1971, he, as second in command, proceeded towards the hostile camp with a column of 60 men at 1730 hours. The column marched for 12 hours over difficult hilly terrain and crossed two nullahs which were in spate due to continuous rain. At about 0545 hours on 6th July, 1971, on reaching about 500 yards short of the hostile camp, the column was divided into three parties, one of these to act as reserve and the other two for attacking the camp from two different directions simultaneously. When the party led by Captain Mahra reached within about 30 yards of the camp, a hostile opened fire. Captain Mahra ordered his party to open fire, and himself firing from his Sten Machine Carbine, led the charge on the camp. He shot dead the hostile sentry, but in the process received grievious bullet wounds in his abodmen and right hand. Even though profusely bleeding, he encouraged his men to charge the hostile camp. As a result of the charge, the hostiles started running away in panic. Simultaneously, the other party rushed into the camp firing on the fleeing hostiles. Thus, coming under the effective cross firing of both the parties, the hostiles fled leaving behind their dead comrade, some arms and ammunition and some important documents. Captain Mahra, however, succumbed to his injuries.
In this encounter, Captain Ummed Singh Mahra displayed conspicious gallantry and leadership of a very high order.
Source: Gazette of India. Reproduced as printed, including any errors in the original.