By M S Nazki
1947: Every soldier knew that courage and foolhardiness were close companions in some situations, And Jhangar was one such situation! Pakistani marauders were all over the place and were at a threatening pace!
-Murder, kill and carnage was their objective and loot, carrying women along with them their intent!
-But nothing of real worth can ever be bought. Love, friendship, honour, valour, respect stand alone in each and every respect. All these things have to be earned!
-In this horrible scenario a ‘Lion’ arose and he knew that in the fury that was unleashed, never throw the first punch. If you have to throw the second, try to make sure they don’t get up for a third!
-He ensured that the battle of Jhangar was won but it was enormously difficult!
-The Lion had decided to martyr himself so that the cubs reared up in future could survive and fight for the honor of the country!
-That time India was raw at fighting but our soldiers were ever ready for a RAW scrap!
-Valor is strength, not of legs and arms, but of heart and soul; it consists not in the worth of our horse or our weapons, but in our own. Our soldiers knew that because the spirit had been inculcated by Brigadier Usman!
-First as always the history:
– The Battle of Jhangar, a key engagement in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-1948, took place in the strategic village of Jhangar, located in the present-day Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Initially, Jhangar was the base of the Mirpur-Poonch Brigade of the State Forces of Jammu and Kashmir. During the war, it became a fiercely contested area between Indian and Pakistani forces.
-Key Points about the Battle:
-Strategic Location: Jhangar was situated roughly equidistant from Bhimber, Mirpur, Kotli, and Rajouri, making it a vital location for both sides.
-Initial Pakistani Capture: Pakistani forces, along with tribal invaders, initially captured Jhangar in December 1947.
-Indian Recapture: Indian forces, under the command of Brigadier Mohammad Usman, later recaptured Jhangar.
-Heavy Fighting: Jhangar was subjected to repeated attacks and heavy artillery bombardment by Pakistani forces, including regular army troops, after May 1948.
-Brigadier Usman’s Role: Brigadier Usman played a crucial role in defending Jhangar. He was martyred there on July 3, 1948, after being hit by an enemy shell.
-Continued Significance: Despite Usman’s death, Indian forces continued to hold Jhangar against repeated Pakistani attacks, and the area remained under Indian control.
-It is also important here to tell the story of Brigadier Usman:
-Brigadier Mohammad Usman MVC was the highest ranking officer of the Indian Army killed in action during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. As a Muslim, Usman became a symbol of India’s inclusive secularism.
– At the time of the partition of India he with many other Muslim officers declined to move to the Pakistan Army due to the illegal occupation and riots and continued to serve with the Indian Army.
– He was martyred in July 1948 while fighting Pakistani soldiers and militia in Jammu and Kashmir.
-Mohammad Usman was born in Bibipur, now Mau, Uttar Pradesh, in the United Provinces, British India on 15 July 1912 to Jamilun Bibi and Mohammad Farooq Khunambir.
– Usman and his younger brothers, Subhan and Gufran, were educated at Harish Chandra Bhai School, Varanasi. At the age of 12, he had jumped into a well to rescue a drowning child.
-Usman later made up his mind to join the Army, and despite the limited opportunities for Indians to get commissioned ranks and despite intense competition, he succeeded in gaining admission to the prestigious Royal Military College, Sandhurst (RMC).
-He entered RMC in 1932, was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and appointed to the Unattached List for the Indian Army on 1 February 1934.
– He was attached in India to the 1st battalion of the Cameronians on 12 March 1934 for a year.
-At the end of his year with the Cameronians, on 19 March 1935, he was appointed to the Indian Army and posted to the 5th battalion of the 10th Baluch Regiment (5/10 Baluch).
-Later in the year he saw active service on the North-West Frontier of India during the Mohmand campaign of 1935.
-Usman was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 30 April 1936 and Captain on 31 August 1941. From February to July 1942, he attended the Indian Army Staff College at Quetta.
– By April 1944, he was a temporary Major. He served in Burma and was mentioned in dispatches as a temporary Major in the London Gazette 25 September 1945.
-He commanded the 14th battalion of the 10th Baluch Regiment (14/10 Baluch) from April 1945 to April 1946.
-When the Indian Army was split during the Partition of India, Pakistan offered him the prospect of becoming the army chief in Pakistan. However, he opted to remain in India.
-Indo-Pakistani War of 1947:
-In 1947 Pakistan sent tribal irregulars into the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in an attempt to capture it and accede it to Pakistan.
– Usman, then commanding the 77th Parachute Brigade, was sent to command the 50th Parachute Brigade, which was deployed at Jhangar!
-in December 1947. On 25 December 1947, with the odds stacked heavily against the brigade, Pakistani forces captured Jhangar. Located at the junction of roads coming from Mirpur and Kotli, Jhangar was of strategic importance. On that day Usman took a vow to recapture Jhangar – a feat he accomplished three months later, but at the cost of his own life.
-Order of the day by Brigadier M Usman led to a victory ensuring integration of Nowshera & Jhangar with India. Brig M. Usman, an epitome of valour, led the Battle and dislodged the enemy.
-In January–February 1948 Usman repulsed fierce attacks on Nowshera and Jhangar, both highly strategic locations in Jammu and Kashmir. During the defence of Nowshera against overwhelming odds and numbers, Indian forces inflicted around 2000 casualties on the Pakistanis (about 1000 dead and 1000 wounded) while Indian forces suffered only 33 dead and 102 wounded. His defence earned him the nickname Lion of Nowshera.
– Pakistani forces then announced a sum of Rs 50,000 as a prize for his head. Unaffected by praise and congratulations, Usman continued to sleep on a mat laid on the floor as he had vowed that he would not sleep on a bed till he recaptured Jhangar, from where he had to withdraw in late 1947.
-The enemy was eventually driven from the area, and Jhangar was recaptured. Pakistan brought its regular forces into the fray in May 1948. Jhangar was once again subjected to heavy artillery bombardment, and many determined attacks were launched on Jhangar by the Pakistan Army.
-However, Usman frustrated all their attempts to recapture it. It was during this defence of Jhangar that Usman was martyred on 3 July 1948, by an enemy 25-pounder shell.
-He was 12 days short of his 36th birthday. His last words were “I am dying but let not the territory we were fighting for fall for the enemy”. For his inspiring leadership and great courage, he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously.
-Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his Cabinet colleagues attended the funeral of Usman — “the highest ranking military commander till date” to lay down his life on the battlefield. He was given a state funeral of a martyr.
– An Indian journalist, Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, wrote about his death, “a precious life, of imagination and unswerving patriotism, has fallen a victim to communal fanaticism. Brigadier Usman’s brave example will be an abiding source of inspiration for Free India”.
-But this was the past and now is the future! The cubs have grown up over the years and Jhangar remains the sleeping waking up den of officers and soldiers of the Indian Army
The Indian Army celebrated “Jhangar Day” to commemorate the sacrifice made by Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) awardee Brigadier Mohammad Usman, officials said.
The launch was accompanied by community outreach activities, including a medical camp, plantation drive, play events, and relief kit distribution in collaboration with Amazon India for locals affected during Operation Sindoor.
The event took place at the Usman Memorial, where Brigadier Shubhankar Ghoshal, SM, Commander of 80 Infantry Brigade, led the wreath-laying ceremony.
He was joined by Col Saurav Pandey, CO of Jhangar Battalion, and Col Subin Leons, CO of 3 Punjab Regiment. Local Bal Sainik Basant Singh also paid tribute to the fallen soldiers.Travel packages to Jammu
In his address, Brig Ghoshal hailed Brig Usman as a symbol of courage and national integrity, whose legacy continues to guide generations of Indian Army personnel.
The day served as a reminder of the Indian Army’s enduring commitment to both national defence and social responsibility.
The Usman Memorial website (www.usmanmemorial.in) was simultaneously launched, providing a digital platform that offers worldwide access to the memorial. The website includes e-learning materials, archival content, community resources, and serves as a gateway for connecting people with the legacy of sacrifice, fostering learning and civic inspiration, officials elaborated.
This is not the end of the story as 365 days later next year we would be yet again on the same!
