Colonel Santosh Mahadik, martyred in a gunbattle with militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Tuesday, was honoured by the Army at a ceremony in Srinagar on Wednesday morning. The 38-year-old was the second Army commanding officer to die in a terrorist encounter this year.
- He was the son of a dairy farmer. His father supplies milk to the Sainik School in the Satara district of Maharashtra.
- He was a product of Sainik School Satara.
- Initially, he joined the 21 Special Forces Para Unit of the Army.
- He received the Sena Medal for his bravery during Operation Rhino which was conducted in Assam in 2003.
- He trained the Indian Cricket Captain MS Dhoni for paragliding in August of this year.
- He was the commanding officer of anti-terror force 41 Rashtriya Rifles.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was quoted saying,
“We are proud of our young officers like him who lead from the front and do not hesitate to sacrifice their lives for the nation.”
