Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla MVC

Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla was born on 15 May 1926 in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, into a distinguished family of legal luminaries. His father, Shri Tej Narain Mulla, served as a judge of the High Court, while his elder brother pursued a successful career as a lawyer. His uncle, Shri Anand Narain Mulla, was also a renowned legal professional and a member of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court. Growing up in an environment steeped in legal scholarship and public service, young Mahendra Nath Mulla was initially inclined towards a career in law. However, as he matured, his interests gradually shifted towards a life of service in uniform, inspired by a growing sense of duty and patriotism.  At the age of 20, after completing his intermediate examination, he took a decisive step towards this calling by joining the Royal Indian Navy as a cadet in January 1946. He underwent professional naval training in the United Kingdom, where he distinguished himself through discipline and dedication. On 1 May 1948, he was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Indian Navy, marking the beginning of a naval career that would span over two decades and be defined by professionalism and integrity.

His steady rise through the ranks reflected both his competence and leadership qualities. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander on 16 September 1958. Recognizing his potential for higher command and staff responsibilities, he was selected in April 1961 to attend the prestigious Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington, an institution that grooms officers for senior leadership roles. Continuing his upward trajectory, he was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June 1964. During his service, Captain Mulla held several important and varied appointments, both at sea and ashore. He served for three years on board INS Krishna, gaining valuable operational experience. His staff and diplomatic assignments included his role as Officer-in-Charge of Naval Appointments at Naval Headquarters and later as Deputy Naval Adviser to the Indian High Commissioner in London, a position he held for three years and in which he represented the Indian Navy with distinction. He also served as the Executive Officer of the naval shore establishment INS Angre in Bombay, further broadening his administrative and leadership experience.

In command roles, Captain Mulla served as the Commanding Officer of the destroyer INS Rana, where he demonstrated exemplary seamanship and command acumen. He also had a tenure at Naval Headquarters in the Directorate of Naval Plans, contributing to long-term operational and strategic planning of the Indian Navy. In addition to his professional naval duties, he was known for his sharp legal mind and frequently acted as an able defence counsel in courts-martial proceedings, earning respect for his fairness and clarity of thought. Beyond his service responsibilities, Captain Mulla was a man of refined cultural interests. He had a deep appreciation for Urdu poetry, reflecting his intellectual depth and balanced personality. In February 1971, Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla joined INS Khukri and took over as the Commanding Officer of the ship, a posting that would soon place him at the centre of one of the most defining moments in the history of the Indian Navy.

Indian Naval Operations (Indo-Pak War): 09 Dec 1971

When the Indo–Pakistan War of 1971 broke out, Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla was serving as the Flotilla Commander of three frontline anti-submarine warfare frigates—INS Khukri (F-149), INS Kuthar (F-146), and INS Kirpan (F-144). All three vessels belonged to the Type 14 Blackwood class, specifically designed for anti-submarine operations and equipped with dedicated ASW sensors and munitions. The flotilla was tasked with a critical mission: to detect, track, and neutralize enemy submarines operating in the North Arabian Sea, particularly in the approaches to India’s western coastline. On 3 December 1971, Indian naval detection systems picked up indications of an enemy submarine operating in the vicinity of Diu harbour, confirming a serious underwater threat in the area. However, operational challenges soon emerged. Around 5 December, INS Kuthar developed technical problems and had to be escorted back to harbour, temporarily reducing the flotilla’s strength. Despite this setback, INS Khukri and INS Kirpan were deployed to continue the hunt for the hostile submarine.

In the late evening of 9 December 1971, tragedy struck. INS Khukri came under attack from the Pakistani submarine PNS Hangor, which launched a torpedo strike with devastating precision. Several factors unfortunately worked against the Indian ship. INS Khukri was carrying an experimental sonar system, fitted for research purposes, which imposed severe operational limitations. The ship’s speed had to be restricted to approximately 12 knots to operate the equipment effectively, significantly reducing her ability to manoeuvre or evade an attack. Moreover, while Khukri’s sonar had a detection range of about 3,000 yards, PNS Hangor was capable of firing torpedoes from distances of nearly six kilometres, giving the attacker a decisive tactical advantage. At approximately 2046 hours, the first torpedo struck INS Khukri, destroying her propeller and triggering massive explosions in the aft section. The impact knocked out all electrical power, plunged the ship into darkness, and set portions of the vessel ablaze. Within moments, the ship began to list sharply to starboard, and it became clear that survival of the crew was now the overriding priority.

Assessing the situation with remarkable clarity under extreme pressure, Captain Mulla quickly ordered the abandonment of ship. Even as confusion and panic threatened to take hold, he remained calm, composed, and resolute. Displaying exemplary leadership and selfless courage, he focused entirely on saving his men. He directed his second-in-command to deploy lifeboats, rafts, and flotation aids, and personally moved across the listing deck, guiding sailors to safety and ensuring that as many as possible evacuated the sinking ship. Despite being injured and bleeding from a head wound, Captain Mulla refused to leave his post. True to the finest traditions of the Navy, he chose not to abandon his ship or the sailors who remained trapped within her. INS Khukri sank within minutes, taking with her 176 sailors, 18 officers, and her commanding officer, who went down with the ship in the Arabian Sea. Through his actions, however, 67 lives were saved, including five officers, one midshipman, and sixty-one sailors.

Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla’s conduct in those final moments stands as a timeless example of naval leadership, courage, and sacrifice. His cool, unwavering composure in the face of certain death not only saved lives but also profoundly inspired the Indian Navy and the Armed Forces as a whole. His decision to remain aboard his ship, even when escape was possible, immortalized him as a commander who placed duty, honour, and the lives of his men above his own—a legacy that continues to resonate across generations. Capt Mahendra Nath Mulla was given the Indian Navy’s first and nation’s second highest gallantry award, “Maha Vir Chakra” for his outstanding courage, leadership and supreme sacrifice. Besides Capt Mahendra Nath Mulla, the other officers, who were given gallantry awards posthumously included, Cdr M Ommen VrC, Lt Cdr JK Suri VrC, Lt Cdr Prabhat Kumar VrC, Surg Lt SS Panda VrC, Lt SH Kundanmal NM and Lt VK Jain NM.  

Capt Mahendra Nath Mulla is survived by his daughters Smt Ameeta Mulla Wattal and Smt Anjali Kaul. 

The citation for the "Maha Vir Chakra" awarded to him reads:

Two ships of the Indian Navy under the command of Captain M.N. Mulla, a senior officer of the frigate squadron, were assigned the task of locating and destroying a Pakistani submarine in the North Arabian Sea. During these operations on the night of 9 December 1971, INS “Khukri” was hit by torpedoes fired by the enemy submarine and sank. Having decided to abandon ship, Captain Mulla, without regard for his personal safety, supervised the arrangements for the rescue of his ship’s company in very cool, calm and methodical manner. Even at a later stage whilst the ship was sinking, Captain Mulla showed the presence of mind and continued to direct rescue operations and refused to save himself by giving his own life-saving gear to a sailor. Having directed as many of his men as possible to leave the ship, Captain Mulla went back to the bridge to see what further rescue operations could be performed. In doing so, Capt Mulla was last seen going down with his ship. His action and behaviour and the example he set have been in keeping with the highest traditions of the Service. Captain M.N. Mulla displayed conspicuous gallantry and dedication.

• Capt MN Mulla and other martyrs of Khukri have been honoured by the Indian Navy with a memorial at Diu. It constitutes of a scale model of the INS Khukri encased in a glass house and placed atop a hillock facing the sea.
• The "Capt MN Mulla Auditorium", at Navy Nagar, Colaba, Mumbai, has been named in his honour.  A bust of Capt Mulla stands in the foyer of the auditorium.
• On 28 January 2000, the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee released a  commemorative postage stamp issued by India Post paying tribute to Capt MN Mulla. 
• An auditorium at the DSSC Wellington has been named after Capt MN Mulla in his honour.
• In Selection Centre South (SCS), Bangalore, there is a hall named after Capt MN Mulla in his honour.

• Smt Ameeta Mulla Wattal, Captain Mulla’s daughter:”My entire life has been a testimony to a man who died for country and I believe that I have to live for it. The irony, however, lies in never being able to come up to his expectations because of the exemplary way in which he lived and died. “On December 9, 1971, when his ship was struck by a torpedo and started to sink he spared no effort in getting as many sailors and officers to the safety of lifeboats. And when he had done his duty, he took the decision to go down with his ship. Not because it was the right thing to do, nor because it was expected of him, but because knowing him as I did, it was the only thing to do. “He was the first captain of independent India’s navy to go down with his ship, and hopefully the last. One such man is enough to bring honor to an entire nation for a lifetime.”
• General Cardozo:”In this brave and heroic action, Captain Mulla teaches us not only how to live, but how to die.”
• Smt Sudha Mulla, wife of Capt Mulla said about her late husband’s service, “The navy has been my home away from home. It has always been there for me. To me, the defence services are the finest examples of brotherhood, family spirit, and nation building".