Nation salutes Col Santhosh
A grateful nation paid its respects to Galwan hero Colonel Santhosh Babu on the first anniversary of his martyrdom. He died while fighting the Chinese at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on this day a year ago.
Col. Santhosh Babu, a native of Suryapet, died in a Chinese PLA attack at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh.
As the martyr’s wife Santoshi and daughter and their family watched, minister K.T. Rama Rao on Tuesday unveiled a 10feet height bronze statue of the Colonel at the Court Centre in Suryapet. Rama Rao along with the energy minister G. Jagdish Reddy garlanded the statue.
Emotions ran high after the statue was unveiled as people broke into tears and raised slogans of Jai Jawan and Santosh Babu Amar Rahe.
Rama Rao said, “The nation will remain eternally grateful to Santhosh Babu and other gallant Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in service of the nation to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country. Their valour will be eternally etched in the memory of the nation.”
Colonel Babu, the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar Regiment, was among the 20 Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in the fierce hand-tohand combat in the Galwan Valley.
Rama Rao said Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had made a promise last year to install a statue of Colonel Babu and provided financial assistance of `4 crore to the martyr’s wife Santoshi and `1 crore to the deceased’s parents. His wife Santoshi was appointed as a deputy collector.
He said the state government would always stand by the family members of martyred soldiers and reminded the people that the CM had visited the residence of Santhosh Babu in Suryapet and offered his condolences.
Colonel Babu had been awarded the Mahavir Chakra posthumously.