When the nation failed a martyr

Today I want to tell you about an Indian who makes us all feel proud. So just take a little time out and read what I have written. His name is Suneel Yadav.

A few of you here reading this blog might know him personally or might have heard about him from other Picketians. Suneel joined me in Kendriya Vidyalaya Picket, Secunderabad in 1988 in the eighth. His father was a soldier in the Indian Army. Suneel was an average student in school and Maths was his Waterloo (like for many of us here). But he was a sportsman par excellence. He was especially good at cricket and kabaddi. He was keeping wickets for the school senior cricket team in the 9th standard itself. After his 10th he joined the Humanities stream (finally getting rid of Math!). He was the Sarojini House captain in the 12th and continued his good work on the cricket field leading the school team and later the regional team, finally playing the KVS Nationals. Despite participating in various sports, Suneel cleared the 12th Boards with a decent 62% marks.

Suneel was always the 'fauji types'. So he joined the NCC Air wing while pursuing his BA at the Nizam College. He played cricket for Nizam too. He represented Andhra Pradesh at the NCC Republic Day Parade in his final year of BA. He now just had one aim in life- to join the Army. Clearing the Combined Defence Services was a little difficult for him, what with his “command” over Maths. But he had a clear goal in mind and he worked hard and qualified for the OTA (Short Service Commission in the Army). It was quite a proud moment for all of us but more so for his parents. For his father the equation was simple: A jawan’s son had become an officer! Nothing gave him more satisfaction. Suneel was commissioned into the 3 Rajput Regiment in 1997. He excelled in the Army too. He completed the Commando Course with distinction. His only problem came when he had to make mathematical calculations and handle finances while serving as the Adjutant of the Unit!

1999: Kargil was over. Suneel was posted somewhere along the China border. One July evening he called me up here at Hyderabad and told me that his Unit had been given 4 hours notice and they were being moved into Kargil to relieve the Units which took part in Operation Vijay. By now Suneel had picked up the rank of Captain; Captain Suneel Yadav! Made us proud to hear that. He called from Leh after reaching there. He told me that all was quiet on the front barring a little fire from across from the border which was appropriately answered. I was relieved to hear that.

Middle of August our Minister of Defence Fernandes visited Kargil. There were still quite a few heights which were under the control of the Pakistanis. Reshma Height on which existed the Durga post was one of them. The Minister wanted the Durga post, which though was on our side of the LoC but still with the Pakistanis, to be taken back. 3 Rajput was entrusted with the task. There was no chance of Suneel being on the mission as he was the youngest of the lot and there were quite a few senior officers. At this point Suneel volunteered and he was taken in. Two groups were made which were to attack Durga Post from two different sides and take the Pakistanis by surprise. Suneel was leading one group.
A meeting was held the night before the attack was to take place. It was as if the chaps knew that they would not be coming back. They all wrote their last letters to their respective families. The attack was to take place on the night of 29th/30th August. Suneel was booked to leave for his hometown to be his sisters for Rakhi on the 4th September. He called home to tell them that he would be there on the 4th. As always, he was confident of making it to his goal. Sometime during the early hours of 30th August the teams started zeroing in on Durga post. The time of attack was fixed at 0400hrs.

At the fixed hour Suneel along with his party of 5 men scaled the Reshma heights and were waiting for the other party to come into contact. But something unfortunate had happened. The other party being led by a Major got lost in the darkness. By the time they got back on trail and reached the foot of Reshma Heights, Suneel was up there already. The Major saw Suneel and his men at skyline. Suddenly he heard gunshots. Suneel and his men had been spotted by the Pakistanis! The Major heard Suneel shouting at his men not to turn back. He was here to fight. Suneel got hit on his left palm in the first burst of fire. He also lost two men. The next burst caught him on his left shoulder. But he did not give up. He lifted his Medium Machine Gun (MMG ) and was placing it on the rock in front of him and taking aim when a bullet hit him on his forehead. It’s ironical that Suneel was not carrying a helmet because he found it too heavy and in its place preferred to carry his MMG instead of a lighter weapon! Suneel collapsed on the spot. Too much for even the bravest of the brave take, I guess.
(This picture was recovered from Suneel's camera after he had been martyred. Taken before the final assault)

Two of his men sacrificed their lives along with him. Two more got captured (and they were amply put on PTV for 17 long days to show that India was violating the LoC). One soldier managed to escape and get back. Obviously none of the bodies could be retrieved. It was headlines the next day.

September 1st. But the official version was that a patrol had gone missing ... maybe crossed over the LoC by mistake! No attack acknowledged. No casualties acknowledged. I read the papers. I froze when I saw 3 Rajput. It just said one officer and 5 jawans missing. But I always believed that it could not happen to Suneel. I was keeping my fingers crossed. I got a call from Suneel’s father on the 3rd September. He told me in Hindi “Beta Suneel nahin rahe” ! But since his body had not been recovered none of us here wanted to believe that Suneel was no more. Some of us were convinced that he was injured and in Pakistani custody. He couldn’t be dead. Unofficially the Army confirmed the death of Suneel and two other soldiers. But their bodies were still lying on the Reshma Heights in Turtuk.

August 7th 2000: 11 months after their sacrifice, the three bodies were recovered, half decomposed, lying buried in snow. Finally, his father could carry out the last rites.



(His final homecoming)







All information about Suneel’s last few days and the attack have come from various people who were with him during the operation i.e., the Major and the soldier who managed to get back from Suneel’s party. The Commanding Officer of his Unit has confirmed each and every incident that occurred, though, he could have done a lot more, I feel. Incidentally, this was the second mission that Suneel volunteered to go on. He and his men had already successfully completed one assault recapturing a peak.

Suneel was 22 when he died. He had his whole life ahead of him. Suneel could have turned back and returned to his base when he found that his party had been spotted and that he did not have support from the other team. Had he done that, he would have lived to fight another day. But he wasn’t the type who would run away. He once told me “Main ab Yadav nahin Rajput hoon” (a reference to his Unit). He stood there, fought like a true warrior and sacrificed his life fighting for his country.

I sometimes wonder what prompted him to stay firm at 17,500 feet and fight on in the face of sure death? Was it the lure of a petrol pump, a plot or flat in a big city, a couple of million rupees in compensation? Obviously not! A soldier fights and dies for the honour of his country and the only befitting reward for this supreme sacrifice is a medal. Why then has Suneel been denied this honour by his country and Army, I ask? Till date the government has not recognised his sacrifice. That’s because this would make it thorny for the government to explain why its men were fighting to get back territory which was already ours! Officially, Kargil had been cleared of all intruders, remember? So he had to be sacrificed yet again, this time for national honour.

(The filling station in his memory on the Agra-Mathura Highway)

Suneel's family is distressed by the treatment meted out to him by the Government of India. Since the past ten years Captain Ram Singh Yadav (himself a Sena Medal awardee) has been running from pillar to post, meeting officers concerned and asking them to recognise his son's bravery and sacrifice. "Suneel's co-officers in the regiment, the soldiers who fought under his command, the senior most officers of the Rajput Regiment, all personally acknowledge that Suneel fought bravely till the very end. Why then has Suneel been denied a medal?" asks his father.
"Take away everything that has been given to us but give my son the medal he deserves," says his mother Shakuntala Devi.
Not for a moment did he dither when the nation needed him most. Why then has India failed her martyred son? It's still not too late. I sincerely hope those who matter up there give justice to Captain Suneel Yadav. Till then his soul will not rest in peace.
Below are some news links which had reported Suneel’s heroics. These reports highlight how the Army treated Suneel’s family after what he did for the country. Though not all reports are accurate but most of the information given is correct.
Army admits 10 died in Turtuk ‘shelling’ (http://www.soniagandhi.org/php/showNews.php?newsid=30&linkid=4)
Dead or missing? A mother waits for son http://www.indianexpress.com/ie/daily/19990920/ige20013p.html
PoW or dead? Mystery of the missing fourth soldier
http://www.indianexpress.com/ie/daily/20000820/ina20039.html
Kargil martyrs’ sacrifices downplayed,says Maj Bhatnagar, Tribune News Service
From http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010308/cth1.htm
An article in Rediff I wrote some years back: http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/aug/29spec1.htm