Mahendra Nath Mulla: Championing Social Justice and Empowerment
Mahendra Nath Mulla (15 May 1926 – 9 December 1971) was a brave officer of the Indian Navy. He was the captain of the Indian maritime carrier INS Khukri.
Life and Career
Mahendra Nath Mulla was born on 15 May 1926, in Uttar Pradesh, India. He too had an interest in law when he was young, but as he got older, he became more interested in the military.
He joined the Royal Indian Navy in January 1946 as a cadet after passing his intermediate exam. After training in the United Kingdom, he joined the Royal Indian Navy in May 1948.
He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander on 16 September 1958. then got selected for the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) Wellington in April 1961. On 30 June 1964, he got promoted to Commander. In addition, he spent three years on INS Krishna. In his military career, Capt Mulla held all kinds of important positions, like Officer-in-Charge of Naval Appointments at Naval Headquarters, Deputy Naval Adviser to the Indian High Commissioner in London, and executive officer of the INS Angre in Bombay. Additionally, he served as the commanding officer of the destroyer INS Rana and at Naval Headquarters. Also, Mulla was a great defense lawyer in military courts-martial. He also liked Urdu poetry. In February 1971, he became Captain of INS Khukri.
He died on 9 December 1971, in Arabian Sea, near Diu, Gujarat, India.
Indo-Pakistani War 1971
Mulla commanded the 14th antisubmarine squadron during the 1971 War, part of the Western Fleet. The squadron had the Khukri (F149), Kirpan (F144) and Kuthar (F146). In the North Arabian Sea, the squadron hunted and destroyed enemy submarines. An enemy submarine, PNS Hangor, fired a torpedo at his vessel, INS Khukri, around 64 kilometres (40 miles) from Diu on 9 December 1971. Because the ship was sinking, he ordered it abandoned. He gave a sailor his life-saving equipment. He went back to the bridge after telling his men to leave the sinking ship to see what further rescue operations he could do. he went down with his ship.
Award and Legacy
He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra posthumous.
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