Page 138 - Leadership in the Indian Army

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B RIGADIER M OHD U SMAN , MVC

The Epitome of Valour

It is said: ‘Those whom the Gods love, die young.’ The brave rarely have
long lives and so it was with Mohammed Usman. When he laid down his

life for his motherland, he was 12 days short of his 36th birthday. But in his
short lifetime he achieved more than most mortals who live twice as long or
more. A grateful nation awarded him the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) and he
was given a state funeral, a rarity for a military leader. Usman’s valour,
courage and tenacity against fearful odds played a crucial role in 1948,
when a newborn nation faced its first test in battle. His deeds are now part
of the legends of Naushera and Jhangar. A true patriot and war hero, his

name will always be enshrined in the annals of the Indian Army.
Usman was born on 15 July 1912 in Bibipur village of Azamgarh district
in the United Provinces. His father, Kazi Mohammed Farook, was a police
officer, who later became the Kotwal (the officer in charge of the main
police station in a city) of Banaras (now Varanasi) and was given the title of
‘Khan Bahadur’ by the British government. Though he was named Sheikh

Mohammed Usman, the prefix ‘Sheikh’ was later dropped. He had three
elder sisters and two brothers, one of whom, Gufran, joined the army and
rose to the rank of brigadier, while the other, Subhan, became a journalist.
Usman was sent to the Harish Chandra High School in Banaras. Even as a
young lad, he showed signs of the courage that later brought him fame as a
war hero. When he was 12 years old, he was passing through a village
where he saw several people gathered around a well. When he learned that

a child had fallen in the well, Usman unhesitatingly jumped in and saved
the child’s life.
Usman suffered from a speech impediment which made him stammer. His
father felt that this would make it difficult for him to enter the civil service,
and decided that he should join the police force. He took Usman to meet his
superior, an Englishman who also stammered. He asked Usman a few

questions, and when the latter replied the Englishman thought that the