Mortal remains of Sepoy Mustaq Ahmed who lost his live in Siachen avalanche brought to Hyderabad on Monday. — ANI photo

New Delhi, February 15

Remains of the nine soldiers buried alive in Siachen recently were flown back to their home states on Monday.

The Indian Army paid their respects to the soldiers at Delhi’s Palam Technical Airport. Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh, Army chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag and IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha were among those who attended it.

One of the nine who died waas Subedar Nagesha TT — a highly motivated Junior Commissioned Officer nicknamed ‘Rambo. Nagesha spent 12 of 22 years of his service in difficult areas and was of ‘Operation Parakaram’ and Operation Rakshak — a counter insurgency operation — at Mendhar in Jammu and Kashmir for two years. He volunteered to serve with Rashtriya Rifles in Jammu and Kashmir for two years.

Nagesha also volunteered to serve as Commando in the National Security Guard for three years and later, he went to North East from 2009 to 2012 to take part in ‘Operation Rhino’ where he was part of several successful operations against the militants as the ghatak platoon JCO, they said.

His colleagues remember him as ‘Rambo’, who would carry their weapons and his own. He was highly adventurous and also did a para-motor course with outstanding grading. He is survived by wife Asha and two sons Amit TN and Preetham TN aged six and four respectively.

Havildar Elumalai M, a non-commissioned officer (NCO) who always took initiative and was always willing to carry out any task assigned to him, was also among the dead.

He joined 19th Battalion The Madras Regiment on October 28, 1996 and ever since he became an inseparable part of the battalion. The NCO had always displayed high degree of courage and had conducted several successful small team operations against terrorists in both Jammu and Kashmir and North East during his nine years of field service, the officials said.

Because of his ability to motivate his juniors and lead them from front the NCO was selected to be part of Sonam Post which required men with nerves of steel and high level of physical fitness.

He attained Instructor grading in Weapon Course at Infantry School, Mhow and was posted as Instructor at The Madras Regimental Centre, Wellington where he trained several recruits and his work was praised by his superiors. He was also part of the Unit Training Team prior to induction of the unit to Siachen Glacier. — PTI