‘He wanted a life and death of dignity... He got both’

NEW DELHI, MAY 14 : “Woh hamesha kehta tha ki mujhe izzat ki zindagi aur izzat ki maut chahiye. Humein sukoon hai ki usey dono miley. (He always wanted a life and death of dignity. We are happy that he got both).”

It's difficult to miss the sense of pride in Gulshan Akhtar’s voice as she speaks about her slain husband Rifleman Abdul Hamid Chara, the militant-turned-soldier who joined the Indian Army and laid down his life eliminating terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. On Wednesday, Gulshan received from the President of India the Shaurya Chakra, the country’s third highest peacetime gallantry award, given posthumously to her husband.

On her first visit to New Delhi, Gulshan struggled to hide her emotions. “He used to narrate stories about Delhi. He would say one day he will take me to see the India Gate. Par woh pehle hi chala gaya (but he died early),” she said, clinging to her 9-month-old daughter Hamida. “Anyway, I am going to see the India Gate.”

Christened after Param Vir Chakra awardee Abdul Hamid Khan, Adbul Hamid Chara's life took a tumultuous turn when he was kidnapped by Al-Barq terrorists in 2001 and forced to join the outfit. “My brother was not a terrorist. He never wanted to be one. Having stayed with the terrorists who had kidnapped him for almost a week, he escaped and surrendered before the police,” recounted Dariaz Ahmad Chara, Abdul’s brother.

Having surrendered, Abdul worked with the Special Group (SOG) of J&K Police. It was in October 2004 that Abdul joined the 62 Infantry Battalion (TA) and was posted with Divar (markul) Company of 18 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion. On June 12 last year, Hamid was a part of the search-and-destroy operation in Ander Nar area of Gagal in Kupwara. Having spotted two terrorists who were trying to escape, Abdul allowed them to come within five meters as he crawled under dense undergrowth of vegetation to cut off their escape route. This caused retaliatory fire from the other side, causing Abdul Hamid multiple gunshot and splinter injuries. But the rifleman continued to fight and killed one terrorist who was later identified as Mussa, the self-styled District Commander of the LeT, Kupwara, in charge of coordinating all activities and management of the LeT.

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