INTRODUCTION
The Kargil War was fought on one of the most difficult and inhospitable terrains in the world. The war lasted for a span of approximately two months in which the Tri-Services, Indian Army, Indian Air Force and, the Indian Navy came together to repulse the alien forces from India and emerged victorious on 26 July 1999.
The battles fought during the Kargil war are example of high-altitude warfare in which Indian soldiers distinguished themselves in valour and sacrifice. This article brings to you a hero of Kargil who not only ensured the capture of the objective but also made it an objective to save his men from impending death. Captain Haneef Uddin of 11 RAJPUTANA RIFLES was one of the gallant warriors of Indian Army who fought and made the supreme sacrifice in the battle ground of Karchan Glacier during the Kargil War.
HIS SACRFICE OUTLIVES HIM
Captain Haneef Uddin was born in on 23 August 1974 in Delhi to a Hindu mother, Mrs. Hema Aziz and a Muslim father, Mr Aziz Uddin. His mother and father both being artists, a classical singer and a drama practitioner respectively, worked for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Since their jobs demanded them to tour across the country and perform for soldiers posted in border areas, Captain Haneef Uddin lived with his grandmother in Old Delhi during his formative years.
It was only, after the demise of his father at the age of eight, he started living with his mother and older brother Nafees, while his younger brother lived with his aunt in Bangaluru. He was an exceptional student and a popular figure in his school and College. Captain Haneef Uddin was a man who had many feathers in his hat, he had a mesmerizing voice and was also popular as a computer genius among his peers. Interestingly, while completing his graduation in science at the Shivaji College, University of Delhi, he was also crowed as Mr. Shivaji.
Captain Haneef Uddin’s discipline and ambition distinguished him; despite having an offer of a lucrative career in computers, he was determined to join the Indian Army. In conversation with author Mrs. Rachna Rawat Bishti, Mrs. Hema Aziz smiles nostalgically as she recalls her conversation with her son on the matter and how overjoyed he was when she asked him to choose his dream. He cleared his Service Selection Board (SSB) interview and joined the Indian Military Academy in 1996. He commissioned into the Army Service Corps (ASC) regiment of Indian Army on 07 June 1997. When the Kargil War broke out, he was attached to 11 RAJPUTANA RIFLES deployed at the Siachen Glacier.
Captain Haneef Uddin and his Company were just back from their four-month long tenure at the Siachen Glacier. Normally when a unit comes back from Siachen deployment, they are given a rest period but the Kargil War had changed circumstances then. Captain Haneef Uddin and his company were at the Siachen Base Camp when 12 JAT reported an enemy intrusion in Sub-Sector West’s Turtuk Sector.
Due to intense clashes in Batalik Sector between Indian troops and Pakistani intruders, 11 RAJPUTANA RIFLES which was in the process of de-inducting, was quickly moved to through Tutuk-Lungpa to occupy defences on the LOC at Point 5500 and adjacent areas. The entire area was dotted with deadly crevasses and the last point of communication was a small Post Zangpal, which was six kms before the Karchen Glacier. By 22 May 1999, Colonel Anil Bhatia, Commanding Officer of 11 RAJ RIF had ensured that the Battalion had firmed in and no further intrusion could take place.
On the night of 06-07 June 1999, in an attempt to identify the enemy positions along Point 5590, Captain Haneef Uddin volunteered to patrol Karchen Galcier. Accompanied by Naib Subedar Mangej Singh, he led a special mission patrol consisting one Junior Commissioned Officer and twelve Other Ranks. Advancing through sub-zero temperatures along the sharp razor edge from the South-Westerly direction, the patrol reached as near as 200 meters to the enemy positions. However, the patrol was spotted by the enemy and carried out indiscriminate fire upon them. Captain Haneef Uddin and two Other Ranks bore the brunt of enemy fire. Acting upon his instincts, Captain Haneef Uddin with sole intention of safeguarding his men from the enemy fire and providing them a passage to extricate, took up a position and opened fire to pin down the enemy. Despite being grievously injured and bleeding profusely, this valiant officer chose to save lives of his team over his own.ii In the fierce firefight Captain Haneef Uddin received multiple gunshot wounds yet he didn’t move an inch from his position till his team reached a safer location. The officer however succumbed to his injuries while fighting on the icy heights of Point 5590. Inspired by the sacrifice of their young officer, his team established a foothold on the mountain and held it against all odds.
Due to incessant enemy fire, it was only forty-three days later on 18 July 1999, that the frozen bodies of their fallen heroes, one of them being Captain Haneef Uddin extricated. For the display of exemplary leadership and gallantry beyond the call of duty, Captain Haneef Uddin was awarded Vir Chakra posthumously. When General Ved Prakash Malik then Chief of the Army Staff informed MrsHema Aziz about the possible delay in recovering the body of her brave son, she politely said ‘I wouldn’t want a son of another mother to die to extricate the body of my dead son, but when the war ends, I want to visit the place where my son took his last breath’. Captain Haneef Uddin was a brave son of a brave mother, he lives forever in the memories of everyone who ever knew him. In the honour of his sacrifice, the Sub-Sector West was renamed as the Haneef Sub Sector and it is where the Indian Army continues to stand vigil every day.
This year marks twenty-five years of Kargil War, yet the thought of grief experience by people who lost their loved ones leaves me with an unsettling feeling which is often a mix of pride and pain.
