Mumbai attack : Bihar Regiment’s Major Sandeep dies as a national hero

Two NSG personnel, including an officer, were today killed and six other commandos injured during operations against terrorists in Mumbai, the first casualties suffered by the elite force during the siege.

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, 31, was killed while engaging terrorists this morning at the Taj hotel. An officer of the Bihar Regiment, he was commissioned in the Indian Army in June 1999.

Major Sandeep was with the 51 Special Action Group of the force and was with the NSG on deputation. He has been with the Black Cat commando force for the last two years. The officer had joined the NSG on deputation in January 2007 after having served two tenures with his battalion in counter insurgency and counter terrorism roles.

The officer hails from Bangalore where his father works for the Indian Space Research Organisation. Remembered for being high on principles, he was strictly averse to hypocrisy, sycophancy, apathy and lack of compassion.

In spite of being such an asset to the national security, the modest Unni always felt that his job was a regular one. But what he didn’t know was the fact that this so called ‘regular’ job will end up making him a national hero.

Soaked in blood and pierced with bullets, Unikrishnan’s body was found around 1.30 pm on the third floor of the hotel. “We lost contact with him around noon which means he fought alone before the terrorists killed him,” an NSG official told.

The second casualty was of Gajender Singh, another NSG commando, who died fighting terrorists in Nariman House. He was one of the members of the two platoons which were air dropped around the Nariman House area. His body was flown to Delhi on Friday night from where it will be taken to Dehradun.

Six other commandos were also injured during the encounters with terrorists at Taj hotel, Oberoi-Trident and Nariman House.