Salute to mighty hearts

Biswajit Jha & Bhavna Khullar

To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there`s the rub: For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause—there`s the respect The biggest terror attack on India needed some brave hearts to fight it. When Indian history will be written post Nov 26, Hemant Karkare, Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Ashok Kamte, Vijay Salaskar’s will be a few names that would definitely require a golden stylus. Valour and heroics of these men have ensured that when India’s generation next looks back, they won’t have any shortages of inspiration. On the occasion of the first anniversary of the deadliest attack on India, Zeenews.com pays tributes to the mighty hearts who lost their lives to save their countrymen. Hemant Karkare, Vijay Salaskar & Ashok Kamte No one is indispensable, but some people come quite close to the enviable status. Hemant Karkare, the chief of Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), who laid down his life fighting one of the worst terror attacks on Indian soil, definitely falls in that category. Born in Nagpur, Karkare studied mechanical engineering in Nagpur and worked at the National Productivity Council and Hindustan Lever before making it to the prestigious IPS in 1982. While posted in Nagpur he fought the Naxalite forces and earned a reputation of being an officer who is courageous as well as having a sound head on his shoulder. In several missions undertaken by him, he used not only his brawn, but his superlative brain to achieve success. Even when fighting the Naxalites in Chandrapur forests near Nagpur, he took an interest in driftwood, discovered artistic shapes in them and converted them into wooden sculptures. The last time the people of the country saw him was while working with his men near the VT Station, the target of one of the attacks. He was shown wearing a shoddy helmet. A little later, a policeman lowers a flimsy bulletproof vest over his shoulders, one that was obviously of little protection when those fatal shots were fired at him. The previous evening, TV channels had “breaking news” that he had received a fresh death threat from some unidentified caller, apparently in connection with the Malegaon probe. But he took it very lightly. The real question is how long will we afford to lose the precious lives of these talented cops like Hemant Karkare, Vijay Salaskar or MC Sharma who lost his life fighting terror in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar couple of months back? In their pursuit to clean the city of the terrorists, Karkare teamed up with SPI Vijay Salaskar and AC Ashok Kamte. SPI Vijay Salaskar was regarded as the encounter specialist who was the head of Extortion Cell in Mumbai. His record as an encounter specialist was impeccable as he was credited with killing of 75-80 criminals in his career as a police officer. He also died with Karakare in the same vehicle that was suddenly attacked by terrorists. AC Ashok Kamte, who was in the same SUV with Karkare and Salaskar, was a highly rated police service officer who was also an accomplished athlete and had represented India in the junior power lifting championships in Peru in 1978. Kamte was known for being an excellent negotiator in crisis situations and for being a secular officer, equally loved by Hindus and Muslims alike, as evidenced by the huge turn out for his cremation. Following their deaths, all three brave souls were awarded the Ashoka Chakra in recognition of the sacrifices they had made. Sandeep Unnikrishnan & Gajender Singh Sandeep Unnikrishnan, a 31-year-old National Security Guard (NSG) commando, laid down his life fighting the terrorists in Mumbai on Friday. His uncle’s home at Beypore in Kozhikode district was in a somber mood as the news of his demise hit them last year. Sandeep, who used to go to school and junior college with a perfect Army crew cut, didn’t surprise anyone when he was selected to join the NDA. Everyone knew that he had it in him. His teachers used to describe him as an ‘extraordinary child’, who had always dreamt of joining the Army right from standard three. Considering Sandeep`s years of schooling at Frank Anthony Public School, and his interests and passions, it can be said that he was an ‘all-rounder’, who excelled academically and also in sports. "He was an incredible sportsman. He held various records in sports," said his school principal going down the memory lane. Major Unnikrishnan was on deputation to the NSG for the past 18 months. He was with the Black Cat commando force for the last 2 years. An officer of the Bihar Regiment, he was commissioned into the Indian Army in June 1999. He 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 braveheart hailed from Bangalore where his father works for the Indian Space Research Organisation. Unni had always been a big foodie. He loved non-vegetarian food and made sure that he gets his meat twice a day. He used to call himself a total movie maniac. 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. "Do not come up, I will handle them", these were probably the last words which Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan told his men as he was hit by bullets while engaging terrorists inside the Taj. "Major Unnikrishnan was rescuing an injured commando when he was hit," then Director-General of NSG J K Dutt said after he announced mission accomplished at the Taj". "During the operation, when an commando got injured Unnikrishnan arranged for his evacuation and started chasing the terrorists himself," a senior National Security Guards (NSG) official said. The terrorists escaped to another floor of the hotel and during the chase Unnikrishnan was seriously injured and succumbed to his injuries, the official said. The other braveheart, Havildar Gajender Singh, was a specialist in heli-borne operations. "Gajender Singh was chosen for the Nariman House operation as he qualified for the job extremely well. He was leading the slithering act and its follow up action," an NSG official said while paying homage to the slain commandos at the NSG headquarters in the national capital. Assistant Sub- Inspector Tukaram Omble Ex-Army man Tukaram Omble was on duty during the dreadful night of 26/11 in Mumbai last year. He sacrificed his life fighting terror, giving his life to ensure the survival of his men and the capture of the only surviving gunman, Ajmal Kasab. Omble, who was at his position near Marine Drive, manoeuvred his motorcycle to force the attackers to swerve and hit the dividers. With the terrorists distracted, Omble charged them down and attempted to wrestle Kasab`s weapon from him. During the struggle, Kasab managed to fire of several rounds which struck Omble in the abdomen. Collapsing, Omble used his body as a shield to prevent his team from being shot at. He managed to hold onto the gun and bought enough time for his colleagues to kill the other terrorist in the car and capture Kasab alive, thereby saving their lives and the lives of countless others. Tukaram Omble was awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India`s highest peacetime gallantry award for his services to the nation. Other martyrs Another Indian Police Service (IPS) officers - Sadanand Date - were killed in separate gun battles with terrorists following a series of attacks in India `s financial capital. In all about two dozens of police personnel were gunned down. These are indispensable losses as one can’t replace them overnight or muster the art of fighting modern day terror in one day. Why there is still lackadaisical attitude on the part of the whole political class who seemed not to take any lesson from the losses of such cops or loss of countless civilians? Unless the government comes up with any strong counter measure to tackle terrorism by keeping themselves above the vote-bank and appeasement politics, the sacrifices of Karakare, Salaskar or MC Sharma and countless brave souls would surely go in vain.