Late Brig Mohd Usman stands as a personification of the secular traditions of the Indian Army. He made supreme sacrifice in the Battle of Jhangar on July 3, 1948. On the occasion of his death anniversary, homage is paid to this great soldier at Jamia Milia, New Delhi by those who fought along with him fiftyfour years back.

Brig Usman was born on July 15, 1912 at Bibipur which is a part of today's Azamgarh District in Uttar Pradesh. Young Usman was educated at Harish Chandra Bhai School in Varanasi. Despite intense competition, young Usman succeeded in gaining admission to the prestigious Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. Upon completion of his training, he was commissioned in the Baluch Regiment. And it was as a Baluch officer that Usman had to face the cruel spectre of Partition in 1947.

Despite intense pressure from the Pakistani leadership to join the Army of the new nation, Brig Usman remained committed to the ideals of his motherland. The ultimate bait of becoming the Pakistan Army Chief also proved unsuccessful in tempting him and he remained steadfast in his resolve to serve the land of his birth.

When the Baluch Regiment was allotted to Pakistan, Brig Usman was transferred to the Dogra Regiment. But war had already been thrust upon India when Pakistan sent tribal irregulars and its soldiers into Jammu and Kashmir. Even as the situation in the Kashmir Valley was stabilised, the threat continued to be serious in the Jammu region. Brig Usman, Commander of 77 Para Brigade was side stepped to command 50 Para Brigade, deployed at Jhangar in December 1947. However, with odds heavily against him, Jhangar was wrested by the Pakistanis on December 25, 1947. The Brigadier vowed to recapture Jhangar - a feat he accomplished three months later.

With the fall of Jhangar, the emboldened Pakistanis seized Naushera and the situation looked grim indeed. In the face of overwhelming odds, he effected the defence of Naushera during the crucial battle by February of 1948. Naushera was defended despite heavy odds and a numerically superior enemy was defeated. This proved to be the turning point in the campaign that earned Brig Usman two titles of endearment - ‘Hero of Naushera, and ‘Saviour of Naushera’.

Jhangar, however loomed large in his mind, and the liberation of which became his obsession. After a month's planning, he was able to put into motion his operation to free Jhangar, and on March 18, the Para Brigade achieved its objective. Jhangar was once again in Indian hands.

But it was Jhangar that cost Brig Usman’s life. On July 3, during a lull in shelling, Brig Usman came out of his tent. In no time, a single shell caught him killing him instantly. In a moving ceremony, Brig M Usman was given a state funeral and a posthumous Maha Vir Chakra.