The Colonel from the Para-Special Forces was killed on Tuesday in an encounter with militants in J&K
Jammu & Kashmir: The dawn of Tuesday brought another battle for the brave Colonel Mahadik to fight. An officer with the elite 21 Para-special Forces unit for the past decade, Col Santosh had experience abound in neutralizing militants and terrorists through well-coordinated, small-team operations in both the North-East and in Jammu & Kashmir. He has several credentials for the same.
So, despite his ‘Colonel’ status, he volunteered to lead the battalion of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR), the Army’s specialized force to curb insurgency in J&K. Hence, on Tuesday, he commanded his troops once again from the 41 battalion of the RR into the Manigah forest along the Line Of Control (LoC), where some militants had infiltrated the state a few days ago. Placed in the Kupwara district of North Kashmir, the Manigah forest has been a hideout for the heavily-armed militants for the last 2-3 days as they escaped the Army’s capture scheme. Said one official, “”Over the last two days, three `contacts’ had been established with this group of terrorists in the inhospitable terrain…but they managed to evade the dragnet.”
Even as the troops under the Colonel proceeded to investigate the area for any sign of the insurgents, the militants opened a massive round of firing at them stealthily. Then, they fled to a deeper part of the forest, leaving to army men injured severely and the Colonel in charge shot in the head. Although Colonel Mahadik didn’t die on impact, he succumbed to internal injuries at the Durgmulla Military Hospital, where he was rushed to for intervention. After the incident, one official commented, “The operation is still continuing, with more forces being rushed to the area.”
Meanwhile, a somber Minister of Defense, Manohar Parrikar stated, “We are proud of our young officers like him who lead from the front and do not hesitate to sacrifice their lives to protect the nation.” The Army has always distinctively had officers leading from the front, as seen in the Gallantry awards every year. However, it is unusual for a Senior commanding officer to lose his life in counter-insurgency efforts. Colonel Mahadik (38), is only the second Commanding officer to have been martyred in the line of duty this year; on January 27th, 2015, Colonel Munindra Nath Rai of the Gorkha Rifles was killed in Tral, in South Kashmir tragically after being awarded the Yudh Seva Medal in the Republic Day Gallantry 
awards a day earlier.
The remembered officer, the son of a milkman in Maharashtra, is survived by his wife, Sashwati, his eleven-year-old daughter and five-year-old son. A decorated officer, he was an accomplished paratrooper as well as under water diver. Having been taken into the Army in December 1998, Mahadik was the receiver of a Seva Medal of Gallantry for Operation Rhino in the North-East in 2003. He was an alumni of the Sainik school in Satara, his hometown in Maharsahtra.
“We owe a deep debt of gratitude to officers like Santosh who lead from the front and are willing to pay the ultimate price in the fight against terrorism,” Lieutenant General DS Hooda, Army Commander, Northern Command said.
The Rashtriya Rifles, a force responsible for the neutralization of nearly 16,400 terrorists, was made successful for men like Colonel Santosh Mahadik, a man with abundant bravery and immense love for his nation. The Army paid an emotional tribute to the respected Colonel early on Wednesday. India is, today, because there are men like Colonel Mahadik.
Source: The Times Of India
Tags: Martyred Colonel Santosh Mahadik
