Posthumous Shaurya Chakra for rifleman

Srinagar, Jan 29 (UNI) A 33-year-old rifleman Abdul Hamid from a remote village in north Kashmir, won the Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous) for making supreme sacrifice for the country after refusing to join the militant outfit Al-Barq.

Hamid, one of the nine children of Laldin Chara, a resident of remote Dardpora village in Lolab valley, was just 14 years when, during the peak of militancy in the Nineties, he was kidnapped by Al-Barq militants to join the outfit.

However, before he could be taken to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) for receiving arms training, he gave them a slip and later surrendered in a police station.

Being a true Indian at heart, Hamid joined the Special Operation Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and provided valuable inputs leading to many successful anti-militant operations.

Unmindful of the threat to him and his family, Hamid continued to work for the restoration of peace in Lolab.

A Defence Ministry spokesman said frustrated over unsuccessful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and other attacks on Hamid, the militants killed his father Laidin in 2004.

In October 2004, Hamid joined the 62 Infantry Battalion (TA) and was posted with Divar (markul) Company of the 18 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion.

However, on June 12,2007, Hamid took part in the 'search and destroy' operation in Ander Nar area of Gagal (Kupwara).

At mid-day, he saw two militants trying to run away. Hamid allowed them to come within five metres as he crawled under the dense undergrowth of vegetation to cut off their escape route.

However, the militants suddenly spotted Hamid and brought down heavy volume of rocket, grenade and small arms fire.

Despite serious multiple gun shots and splinter injures, he continued to fire and crawled downhill to cover the dead ground and killed one of them, who was later identified as Mussa, the self-styled District Commander of Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT), Kupwara.

Mussa was in charge of coordinating all the activities and management of the LeT.

He said for displaying extraordinary courage and dedication to duty, rifleman Abdul Hamid Chara was awarded the Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous) on the Republic Day this year by the President of India.

UNI BAS QAB SBC BD2007