Santosh Mahadik

Colonel Santosh Mahadik, SC, SM was the Commanding Officer of 41 Rashtriya Rifles when he died fighting terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir. He was taking part in an operation that started on November 13, 2015 to flush out terrorists, suspected to be from Lashkar-e-Taiba, hiding in the dense forest of Haji Naka in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district. The militants had fled deep into the forests and the security forces continued to chase them. The encounter against the four terrorists had been on for a week in the Manigah forest area of border district of Kupwara in north Kashmir,when he was shot and grievously wounded on November 17, 2015 and later died in hospital on the same day.

Contents

• Col santosh mahadik cremated with full military honours
• 21 gun salute for martyred colonel santosh mahadik
• References

Originally from the Special Forces (elite 21st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment), he had earlier been awarded the Sena Medal for exhibiting gallantry and leadership in counter terrorist operations.

Son of a dairy farmer, Colonel Mahadik was proud of his roots and would often call himself a milkman’s son. His father still supplies milk and milk products to his alma mater, Sainik School, Satara in Maharashtra. Colonel Mahadik, 37, is survived by his wife and two children aged eleven and five years.

Col Mahadik became an "accomplished paratrooper and combat underwater diver" after being commissioned into the Army in December 1998.

The Army Commander of the Northern Command, Lt Gen DS Hooda expressed condolences saying "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,"

Swati Mahadik, the wife of the slain martyr, is set to don the olive green uniform after clearing the gruelling Service Selection Board (SSB) examination. She will undergo further training at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai.