He died saving Mumbai

Fatally wounded, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan kept his men at a safe distance, as he rescued hostages from Taj Mahal Hotel

Fatally wounded, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan kept his men at a safe distance, as he rescued hostages from Taj Mahal Hotel

"Whatever he did, he was the best,'' say batchmates of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, about the National Security Guards (NSG) officer, who died fighting militants on November 26, 2008 in Mumbai.

Awarded the Ashok Chakra posthumously, Unnikrishnan was an elite commando in the NSG. "Major Unnikrishnan was a rare man, obsessed with perfection. In his 14 years of service, he created several benchmarks," said an officer, who was close to the major.

Commissioned into the 7th battalion of the Bihar Regiment, Unnikrishnan had served twice in insurgency-infested areas of Jammu and Kashmir. An avid sportsman, he created several records in athletics too. "He was an extra-ordinarily fit child. We never took him to the hospital and I don't think he fell ill more than twice in his entire childhood. But he was not mischievous," said his father K Unnikrishan, who retired from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). But he rues the fact that his son never shared aspects about his professional life with his family.

"He would never share details about his operations with us. The day terrorists attacked Mumbai, he called up at 11 pm and asked us to watch television as 'something' had happened. I was quite annoyed for being disturbed so late, but as soon as I saw the news, I realised he might be involved in the operation," said the major's father from Bangalore.

Plan of action

The Taj Mahal hotel

While his father watched the action on television, Unnikrishnan and his colleagues were airlifted to Mumbai. Their orders were clear: rescue hostages and kill the terrorists.

Their operation began at Taj Mahal Hotel, where Unnikrishnan and his mate Commando Sunil Yadav started clearing floor by floor. Unnikrishnan, along with a group of 10 commandos, had entered the sixth floor and as they were descending, they noticed hostages on the third floor.

After killing the terrorists guarding the hostages, the group headed towards the room where hostages were locked. Unnikrishnan and Yadav reached the door and lobbed a grenade into the room. But as soon as they stepped forward, a volley of gunfire engulfed them.

Commando Yadav, who was ahead of Unnikrishnan, would have been hit first but the major pulled his mate back just in time. But he was hit in the back.

Even though he was fatally injured, Unnikrishnan kept his men safe. "Aage mat aana. I will handle them," he screamed, as he made sure the hostages were safely evacuated.