Captain

Ummed Singh Mahra

AC
Portrait of Captain Ummed Singh Mahra
Born(1942-01-21)January 21, 1942
Almora, Uttarakhand
DiedJuly 6, 1971(1971-07-06) (aged 29)
Nagaland, India
Allegiance India
Service/branch Indian Army
Rank Captain
Service numberIC-17696
Unit19th Battalion, The Rajputana Rifles
Battles/warsOperation Cactus-Lilly
Awards Ashoka Chakra

Captain Ummed Singh Mahra (21 January 1942–6 July 1971) was a posthumous recipient of the Ashoka Chakra.

Early life

Captain Ummed was born in a Kumaoni Rajput family in Almora, born in the Almora district of Uttarakhand. In 1967 he graduated from the Indian Military Academy and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 19 battalion of Rajputana Rifles Rajputana Rifles on 11 June.[1][2] He was promoted lieutenant on 11 June 1969.[3]

Action

In July 1971, as an acting captain, he led a raiding party against the headquarters of an insurgent group in Nagaland. Though wounded in a firefight, he continued to lead the operation which captured a large cache of arms, ammunition and important documents. He died of his wounds after returning from the raid. He was awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime military decoration.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 6 April 1968. p. 282.
  2. ^ "Captain Ummed Singh Mahra". Bravest_Of_The_Brave_Heroes_Of_The_Indian_Army. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 8 November 1969. p. 1098.
  4. ^ "Ummed Singh Mahra". indian-martyr.in. Archived from the original on 2 August 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2015.


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