New Delhi, July 15 (ANI): Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari paid homage to Brigadier Mohammad Usman, his cousin and the highest-ranked Indian officer martyred in the India-Pakistan conflict of 1947-48, here on Sunday.
The ceremony was attended by Defence Minister A.K.Antony and Army chief General Bikram Singh.
Speaking on the occasion, Ansari said, "It is also an opportunity to pay homage to a great son of India, and at personal level, to my cousin. Brigadier Mohammad Usman, the hero of the battle of Nowshera, is one of the most inspiring military leaders of independent India who demonstrated exceptional courage, devotion to duty, and love for the motherland in the finest traditions of our Army."
Ansari said Brigadier Usman had distinguished himself in the protection of refugees during Partition.
"Brigadier Usman won the hearts and minds of one and all during the Partition period, when he was vested with the responsibility of 50,000 Hindu and Sikh refugees as the garrison commander of Multan," he reconted.
Born in 1912 in Uttar Pradesh, Brigadier Usman is remembered for having chosen to serve the Indian Army after Partition, instead of going over to Pakistan.
An alumnus of the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, Mohammad Usman started his career by being commissioned into the Baluch regiment.
During the India-Pakistan war of 1947-48, he successfully repelled attacks at Nowshera and Jhangar in northern Jammu and Kashmir, earning him the title of 'the Lion of Nowshera'.
A memento commemorating the war hero was released by Ansari on the occasion. (ANI)
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