Hyderabad Awaits Braveheart Colonel Santosh Babu

Braveheart Colonel Santosh Babu was one among 20 soldiers who sacrificed his precious life for the country on Monday night fighting Chinese soldiers in eastern Ladakh. 

The other soldiers who lost their lives in the violent clash with the Chinese troops were Havildar Palani from Tamil Nadu and Sepoy Ojha from Jharkhand. 

Arrangements are being made to fly Santosh Babu’s body which is expected to arrive in Suryapet in Hyderabad shortly. Sadly, Santosh Babu had spoken to his parents on Sunday just a day before he was killed. 

During the phone conversation, Santosh sounded concerned about the border tension however he said that he couldn’t discuss it further as it was a sensitive issue. He also said that the tension at the border is not as serious as it is being projected in the media. He told his father that he had just wished his sister and brother-in-law for their wedding anniversary. 

Twitter 

His parents are still unable to come to terms with their beloved son’s death. Santosh’s father B Upender said, “We are under deep shock. We could not believe it when we got to know about our son. I could not believe it as he was very brave. In the last fifteen years, he had been very successful. I immediately asked an officer. Later, several officers of the Army contacted me directly on phone. They said they are making arrangements to get the body from that place to Suryapet.”

Soldiers are our unsung heroes. They are the reason we citizens are able to close our eyes blissfully while they guard our borders. Even though they sacrifice their whole lives safeguarding their motherland, we do not give them enough credit which they rightly deserve. It is truly brave of parents to be separated from their children who are prepared to be martyred for the sake of their nation.

B Upender said, “I could not join the army and serve my country. So I wanted my son to join the defence forces and serve our country though my relatives discouraged the idea.”

Colonel Babu’s mother said, “I am both sad and proud. My son has laid down his life for the country. As a mother I am sad. He was my only son.” She kept breaking down while facing the cameras. 

Santosh Babu joined the defence forces in 2004. He was in the 16 Bihar regiment as a commanding officer and was first posted in Jammu and Kashmir. His family was looking forward to his transfer to Hyderabad which was delayed due to the pandemic. The Colonel is survived by his wife Santoshi, daughter Abhigna, 9, and son Anirudh, 4.