Brig. Mohammed Usman's story: excerpt from The Lion of Naushera
The eyes of the world are on us/The hopes and aspirations of our countrymen are based upon our efforts./We must not falter, we must not fail them...The brief extract from a Special Order issued by Brigadier Mohammed Usman, a hero who was not often in the limelight, gives a peek into the personality of the man popularly remembered as the 'Lion of Naushera'. Brigadier Usman wrote these lines before the combat which helped the Indian army recapture Jhangar and Naushera—two strategic locations in Jammu and Kashmir located 18 kilometres apart—from Pakistan in 1948. At that time, Brigadier Usman was 12 days short of his 36th birthday. He laid down his life in service to India, and it is important to recall his stirring sacrifice. He repulsed the Pakistan forces at a time when the newly born nation was coveting Kashmir due to its Muslim-majority population. Pakistan's top officials had promised Brigadier Usman the highest rank in the army, money and power, but they could not offer him the unalloyed joy of patriotism. Love for India burned bright in Brigadier Usman's heart, and everything Pakistan offered appeared to pale in comparison. It was out of this love for the nation that the story of Naushera was born, and Kashmir remained an integral part of India.
In the early days after Independence, Jammu and Kashmir was far from being a land of bliss. While there had been unprecedented communal violence in Jammu, resulting in a change in the demographic profile with the massacre of a large number of Muslims, Kashmir had to bear the brunt of Pakistan's repeated incursions. The Pakistani forces used the kabaili tribal raiders to devastating effect. After they captured Jhangar in Jammu and Kashmir in December 1947, Brigadier Usman, who was then commanding the 50th Parachute Brigade, took a vow not to sleep on a bed till he recaptured Jhangar. Three months later, he did so, after successfully thwarting fierce attacks on Naushera and Jhangar, and earned the sobriquet 'Lion of Naushera'.
Supreme sacrifice
Usman again foiled Pakistani attempts to capture Jhangar in May 1948, but lost his life in a 25-pounder shell attack on July 3, 1948. When he died, the nation slipped into mourning. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru sent condolence messages, as did the governor general through personal letters to his family. When he was given a state funeral, the prime minister attended it, along with his cabinet, in Jamia Millia Islamia University's cemetery in Delhi—his last resting place being close to that of his family elder and India's freedom fighter, Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari. The three chiefs of the armed forces were in attendance as well. Usman remains the highest-ranking military officer to be killed in combat. He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously for his valour.
Icon of secularism
He went on to become an abiding icon of secularism for a nation often questioning its own identity. Those who swore by the idea of India and regarded the Constitution as the touchstone of all actions in a pluralist country took pride in his life, often holding him up as an example of an India that belongs to all Indians, and where every Indian belongs to India. There were others who used his sterling sacrifice to counter those who called a section of Indians 'Babur ki aulad' (Babur's progeny) or 'Aurangzeb ki aulad' (Aurangzeb's progeny); the former was regarded merely as an invader by a section of right-wing politicians and their followers, the latter reduced to a destroyer of temples. The fans and followers of Brigadier Usman reminded the divisive elements they would be better off calling other Indians 'Usman ki aulad' (Usman's progeny). Incidentally, Brigadier Usman himself had no children.
Usman was born on July 15, 1912 in Bibipur in Mau district of Azamgarh division in Uttar Pradesh, a region which is derided by some hard-line Hindutva proponents as 'mini Pakistan'. Soon after the Batla House encounter in Delhi in 2008, in which Delhi Police officer Mohan Chand Sharma lost his life while attempting to nab two alleged terrorists of the Indian Mujahideen, a large section of the media labelled all of Azamgarh as a hub of terrorism as the two alleged terrorists hailed from there. Not one television channel brought up the fact that the region also produced for independent India a martyr who laid down his life fighting Pakistan.
Usman's father was a high-ranking police officer in Benares. And young Usman would divide his time between Benares, where his father was posted, and Bibipur, where he went along with his parents to spend time with the extended family on the weekends. Usman was meant for great things in life.
A civil services career would have offered stability, respect and a regular income, while a career in the army came replete with dangers to life and limb, but also the opportunity to serve the motherland. Death would bring the ultimate honour, of being celebrated as a true son of the soil. Usman scripted a tale of valour and commitment to the country that continues to inspire succeeding generations.
Excerpted with permission from Bloomsbury.
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What's the ongoing story: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a petition seeking application of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, known as the POSH Act, to political parties, saying it falls in the domain of the policymakers. Key Points to Ponder: • What is the POSH Act? • Why was it enacted? • Who comes under the purview of the POSH Act? • What constitutes 'workplace, employer, and employee' under the Act? • Do political parties fall under its purview? • What is the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC)? Who are the members of this committee? • What is the role of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in this? • What are the challenges faced by women in the workplace? • What are the Vishaka guidelines? Key Takeaways: • 'The prayer made in the petition is exclusively within the competence of the legislature or within the domain of policy of the executive. As such, we are not inclined to entertain,' Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai, presiding over a two-judge bench, told senior advocate Rekha Gupta, who pressed for the court's intervention. • The counsel told the bench, also comprising Justice K Vinod Chandran, that 'an important issue like this, they (legislators) are not acting upon, the vacuum is still continuing'. • CJI Gavai suggested, 'There must be not less than 25-30 MPs who are women. Ask them to present a private bill.' • The counsel said that she was not seeking a direction to Parliament to legislate but only interpretation as to what constitutes 'workplace, employer and employee' under the Act because a Kerala High Court judgment says it will not apply to political parties. • The court said, in that case, she should challenge the high court order. The counsel said she would do so and sought permission to withdraw her petition. • The court allowed this and gave her 'further liberty to take such steps as are advisable in law'. • The POSH Act requires both public and private workplaces to set up an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) to hear complaints of sexual harassment. The plea contended that when it comes to political parties, 'the presence of Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) to address sexual harassment is inconsistent'. • Citing UN Women (2013) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (2016) studies, it said psychological and sexual harassment in political spaces is not isolated but systemic. It added that political work is a form of employment or engagement and must be recognised as such under the Act to ensure protection and accountability. Do You Know: • The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act was passed in 2013. It defined sexual harassment, lay down the procedures for a complaint and inquiry, and the action to be taken. It broadened the Vishaka guidelines, which were already in place. • The Vishaka guidelines were laid down by the Supreme Court in a judgment in 1997. This was in a case filed by women's rights groups, one of which was Vishaka. They had filed a public interest litigation over the alleged gangrape of Bhanwari Devi, a social worker from Rajasthan. In 1992, she had prevented the marriage of a one-year-old girl, leading to the alleged gangrape in an act of revenge. • Section 3(1) of the POSH Act states that 'No woman shall be subjected to sexual harassment at any workplace'. This immediately tells us how the POSH Act will apply — at the workplace, and only when the aggrieved party is a woman. • The definition of 'workplace' in the POSH Act is expansive. It includes organisations, institutions, and so on in the public sector which are 'established, owned, controlled or wholly or substantially financed by funds provided directly or indirectly by the appropriate Government', as well as organisations in the private sector, hospitals, nursing homes, sports venues, houses, and even covers locations visited by an employee 'during the course of employment'. • The Representation of People Act, 1951 (RP Act), governs how to register a political party. Under Section 29A 'Any association or body of individual citizens of India calling itself a political party' must make an application for registration with the ECI. This application must provide details including the name of the party, the State where its head office is situated, the names of office bearers, details of local units, and number of members. • The application must also contain a memorandum of rules and regulations, and must contain a provision stating that the party 'shall bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India'. However, the POSH Act hangs its hat on protecting women from sexual harassment in the 'workplace', which can be difficult to determine for a political party. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Could the POSH Act apply to political parties? 📍Explained: What is POSH, the law against sexual harassment in India? Mains Question Covering similar theme: What is the significance of the POSH Act? What is the role played by the judiciary in ensuring the protection of women from sexual harassment? Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment What's the ongoing story: 'The day is not far when the entire state of Himachal Pradesh may vanish,' said the Supreme Court Friday as it sounded the alarm on the deteriorating environmental situation in the Himalayan state that has frequently borne the brunt of natural disasters. Key Points to Ponder: • What are the challenges faced by the Himalayan states? • Why is it a matter of concern? • Look at the recent natural disasters that have occurred in the Himalayan states • How is unchecked tourism are cause of concern? • What is the debate around development and environmental conservation? • What are the important Supreme Court judgments on environmental protection? • What is the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF)? Key Takeaways: • Flagging a range of issues in the ecologically sensitive region, a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan directed the registration of a case in the public interest and sought the Himachal Pradesh government's response within four weeks. • The bench was hearing a hotel group's challenge to a Himachal Pradesh High Court order that restricted constructions in an area declared as a green zone by the state's Town and Country Planning Department in June. • Refusing to interfere with the High Court's decision, the top court said it 'would like to say something in the larger interest of the state of Himachal Pradesh and its inhabitants'. • According to the State Emergency Operation Centre, Himachal Pradesh has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 1,539 crore since the onset of monsoon on June 20. So far, 94 people have died and 36 are missing in rain-related incidents while 1,352 houses have been fully or partially damaged. • The court went on to list a number of serious concerns in the Himalayan state — the 'visible' and 'alarming' impact of climate change; deforestation; hydropower projects reportedly causing water shortages and landslides; unchecked tourism affecting the ecological balance and straining resources; and relentless construction of four-lane roads, tunnels and multi-storey buildings to cater to the increasing footfall. • Communities living near hydro-electric projects frequently report water scarcity, landslides, and even structural cracks in their homes, the bench said. • The bench said all Himalayan states need to collate resources and expertise to ensure their development plans are cognisant of environmental challenges. • 'All that we want to convey today is that it is high time that the state pays attention to what we have observed and starts taking necessary action at the earliest in the right direction. The Union of India also owes an obligation to see that the ecological imbalance in the state does not get further disturbed and natural calamities do not occur.' Do You Know: • Worried over frequent natural calamities, the Himachal Pradesh government would seek assistance from the Indian institutes of technology (IITs) in Mandi and Roorkee, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and other expert agencies to study the causes of such repeated disasters in the hill state. • In the last decade, India's Himalayan states — Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and parts of Nepal and Bhutan — have experienced increasingly extreme weather events. • This rising trend is not accidental. Scientists attribute it to global climate change, which fundamentally alters regional weather systems. The implications are profound: More intense storms, unpredictable rainfall, rapid glacier melting, and increased flooding. • One of the fundamental effects of global warming is increased atmospheric moisture. As the Earth's average temperature rises due to elevated greenhouse gases, the atmosphere can hold more water vapour, approximately 7 per cent more per degree Celsius increase. This extra moisture means that when conditions are right, rainfall becomes heavier and more intense. • In the Himalayas, this translates to more frequent and severe cloudbursts — sudden, localised heavy rainfalls that can dump hundreds of millimetres of water in hours. These events often result in flash floods, devastating downstream communities with little warning. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Why is Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) important for UPSC exam 📍Himachal floods: How can Himalayan region safeguard its people, heritage, ecosystems from climate change? Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme: (5) Contour bunding is a method of soil conservation used in (UPSC CSE 2013) (a) desert margins, liable to strong wind action (b) low flat plains, close to stream courses, liable to flooding (c) scrublands, liable to spread of weed growth (d) None of the above Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme: 'Climate Change' is a global problem. How India will be affected by climate change? How Himalayan and coastal states of India will be affected by climate change? (UPSC CSE 2017) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for July 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at
