Lieutenant Colonel A. Mathew Manohar was an officer of the Indian Army and the Commanding Officer of 6 Maratha Light Infantry during the Indo-Pak War of 1965. He hailed from Trimulgherry in Secunderabad, Telangana, and served with the Maratha Light Infantry during one of the regiment's most demanding battles of the war.
In September 1965, 6 Maratha Light Infantry was deployed in the Sialkot Sector and became part of the Indian offensive towards Chawinda, a strategically important location in Pakistan.
The Battle of Chawinda
On the night of 18 September 1965, 6 Maratha Light Infantry took part in the brigade assault towards Chawinda. Despite intense resistance and heavy artillery fire, the battalion fought its way forward and captured its assigned objective, including the Chawinda railway station, by the early hours of 19 September.
The success came at a heavy cost. The battalion found itself isolated after securing its objective while enemy armour and infantry launched counter-attacks. The position came under intense artillery and tank fire.
Lieutenant Colonel Manohar remained with his forward elements and continued directing the battle under relentless enemy bombardment. He led from the front as his men attempted to hold their position in extremely difficult circumstances.
The Final Sacrifice
During the intense fighting on 19 September 1965, Lieutenant Colonel A. Mathew Manohar was martyred while leading his battalion at Chawinda.
His body was never recovered. For some time, his family remained hopeful that he had survived and been taken prisoner of war before eventually accepting the reality of his loss.
The Battle of Chawinda became one of the defining actions of 6 Maratha Light Infantry during the 1965 war. Lieutenant Colonel Manohar made the supreme sacrifice while leading his men through some of the fiercest fighting of the campaign.
His final battle remains a chapter in the history of the Maratha Light Infantry and of the Indian Army's operations in the Sialkot Sector during the 1965 war.
On 19 September, The Honour Post pays tribute to Lieutenant Colonel A. Mathew Manohar for his courage, service and supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation.
