Published 00:40 IST, June 19th 2020
Martyred Col. Santosh Babu’s teacher recalls school days, shares he was keen to join Army
Talking about Col. Santosh Babu, Group Captain Khare described him as a simple and disciplined cadet. The martyred officer had attended Sainik School.
As mortal remains of Colonel Santosh Babu were taken for last rites on Thursday, the braveheart who was martyred in the violent faceoff with the Chinese Army in the Galwan Valley was deeply remembered by the nation. Group Capt. Khare, who was the Registrar in Col. Babu's school, was one of the many to mourn his death.
Talking about Col. Babu, Group Capt. Khare described him as a very simple and disciplined cadet with a smiling face. The martyred officer had attended Sainik School, Korukunda where Group Capt. Khare had interacted with his batch between 1999-2000.
The former Sainik School, Korukunda Registrar praised Col. Babu's inquisitiveness and ingenuity and mentioned his great sense of responsibility and determination during sports and other co-curricular activities. Capt. Khare added that Col. Babu had been keen on joining the Indian Army right from his school days and used to interact with him for SSB preparations. That's when Group Capt. Khare had discovered Col. Babu's great ability to understand things logically.
Group Capt. Khare expressed his condolence on the braveheart's martyrdom and expressed his pride in Col. Babu's exceptional leadership, courage, and loyalty to the nation and the uniform.
Colonel Santosh Babu was the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar regiment. He was one of the 20 soldiers who were killed in action in the violent clash at the Galwan valley.
20 Indian soldiers martyred
The Indian Army on Tuesday issued an official statement on the violent faceoff that took place on June 15 at the Line of Actual Control. It mentioned that both sides had disengaged at the Galwan area. Moreover, it added that 17 more troops who were critically injured in the line of duty had succumbed to their injuries. This has propelled the number of Indian Army personnel martyred at the LAC to 20.
China has not released any information on the casualties suffered by the People's Liberation Army soldiers during the violent face-off in eastern Ladakh. While at least 20 Indians soldiers were martyred, 43 casualties including dead and injured have also been reported from the Chinese side, as per chatter accessed by ANI.
During the face-off, the External Affairs Ministry said, both sides suffered casualties and the Chinese side had departed from the consensus to respect the LAC in the Galway valley. The face-off happened on late evening and night of June 15 in Ladakh's Galwan Valley as a result of an attempt by the Chinese troops to "unilaterally change" the status quo during de-escalation in Eastern Ladakh.
Updated 01:10 IST, June 19th 2020