THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “My anti-aircraft gun must have withstood at least 200 rounds of ammunition, which seemed like a mosquito net by then. It weighed about 50kg. If I could, I would’ve brought it back with me,” recalls Subedar Major and Honorary Captain Cherian Abraham.
December 9 marks 50 years since the Kushtia tank ambush — one of the glorious chapters of the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Kushtia, then a district headquarters in East Pakistan, witnessed some breathtaking war moments. One such tale, in which the Indian Army fought back, was led by the then Dafedar Cherian Abraham who was the tank commander.
With the Army deciding to capture Kushtia, five tanks were tasked with aiding the infantry advance that began at 9am on December 9. “We had taken our positions around 4.30am. The advance began at 9am with Second Lt Sam Chandavarkar leading the first tank. The ambush occurred sometime in the afternoon, when we were moving towards Hardinge Bridge,” Chengannur native Abraham remembers.
As soon as the last tank had crossed the culvert after receiving an all-clear intelligence input, the Pakistan Army opened fire using tanks, artillery and their infantry. The first and third tanks got hit, while the engine of the fourth got stalled. The second one commanded by Lance Dafadar Sankaran shot a Pakistani tank, but was later immobilised after an artillery hit. That’s when the fifth one, commanded by Dafedar Abraham, stepped in.
“So intense was the incoming firing that I had exhausted all of my tank’s ammunition, with even the machine gun getting jammed. I then switched to my anti-aircraft gun to hit one of their tanks, making it burst into flames. I kept on firing at the enemy soldiers who were like sitting ducks,” the veteran chuckles. He believes his on-ground experience in both the 1962 and 1965 wars came handy.
His crew comprised gunner A E Mathukkutty who’s now in Bengaluru, driver Pathan Naserulla Khan of Hyderabad and loader (one who loads the ammunition and also operates the radio) Krishnan from Tamil Nadu. It was a PT 76 Russian Tank, an amphibious tank used specifically for East Pakistan. “None of the crew suffered injuries, but one of them did faint after seeing so much of blood and scattered bodies,” he quips.
Abraham feels that the war tactics of then Army Chief Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi played a crucial role in the war. Abraham’s name was reportedly recommended for ‘Veer Chakra’ twice, but he never got it. The state government too didn’t bestow any honour on him for his valiant act. He retired in 1988. The 81-year-old now lives a quiet life with wife Annamma in Chengannur.