On November 17, 2015 Colonel Santosh Mahadik, a highly decorated para-commando of Satara, who was commanding officer of the 41 Rashtriya Riffles, died fighting militants at Manigah forest area in Kupwara district of north Kashmir.
For the second time in the last four months, Satara district of Maharashtra has made the country proud after another son of soil died in the line of duty at the world highest battlefield of Siachen.
Sepoy nursing assistant Suryawanshi of village Maskarwadi in Satara was among the 10 soldiers who were buried under the tonnes of snow and ice after massive avalanche hit their post at the altitude of 19,600 feet in Siachen glacier on Wednesday.
On November 17, 2015 Colonel Santosh Mahadik, a highly decorated para-commando of Satara, who was commanding officer of the 41 Rashtriya Riffles, died fighting militants at Manigah forest area in Kupwara district of north Kashmir.
Of the 10 slain soldiers buried at Siachen glacier, four were from Tamil Nadu, three from Karnataka and one each from Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
Indian Army has intensified the operation to retrieve the bodies of the soldiers buried under the mounds of snow and ice. More specialised teams and equipment have been airlifted to the glacier to augment the rescuers at the tragedy site.
"The rescue operation is continuing with additional specialised equipment and teams deployed at the site of avalanche," said Colonel SD Goswami, defence spokesman at Northern Command headquarters.
Indian Army said blocks of snow and ice had fallen on the post burying it very deep into the glaciated area. Heavy snow cutters and major equipment have been pressed into service to clear and cut the ice blocks.
The glaciated area presents temperatures ranging from a minimum of minus 42 degrees in the night to maximum of minus 25 degrees during the day. Specialised teams are braving adverse weather and effects of rarefied atmosphere to locate the bodies.
On Thursday, army declined the offer of help from Pakistani army in rescue mission on the Siachen glacier. More than 140 Pakistani soldiers were killed when an avalanche swept away their camp in Gayari sector of Siachen in 2012.
Situated at the eastern tip of Ladakh, Siachen literally means the Land of Wild Roses. Famous as the highest battlefield in the world, Indian Army is holding posts at unimaginable heights across the largest non-polar glacier in the world. Indian Army has lost hundreds of soldiers to weather vagaries, including avalanches and frost bites, in the last 30 years.
Pakistani army suffered humiliating defeat in 1987 when Indian Army led by Honorary Captain Bana Singh captured their "Quaid" post located at 21,153 feet which was later named "Bana" post.
However, for the last 12 years, the 150 kilometer Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) in Siachen, is witnessing calm following the border cease-fire in 2003. Before that the AGPL was a regular battlefield with both armies exchanging artillery and small arms fire to pin each other down.
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