Friend Roy remembers Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan

NSG commando Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who died a hero’s death fighting terrorists in Mumbai on November 26 last year, came alive in an article friend and fellow commando Major Sanjib Roy wrote in a local newspaper on Thursday.

“A year has passed, still I can’t imagine Unni is not with us,” Roy, who was with the Mumbai martyr when terrorists’ bullets hit him at the Taj hotel, recalled.

“Unni, I and five NSG jawans reached the second floor of the Taj escaping the eye of the terrorists. Unni was right beside me. We, along with the jawans, almost cornered four terrorists and began firing at them. In a bid to escape, they retaliated and Unni was hit  and fell to the ground. Two other jawans were also hit, but survived. I’ll always bear this pain,” Roy wrote. 

Although junior, Unni was one of Roy’s closest friends. “I used to call him Unni and he would call me Roy. He was a gem of a person,” Roy said.

“I’m now posted at Manesar between New Delhi and Haryana. Two months ago, I was in Nasigram with my daughters and wife. I don’t know when I will return. All I can say is, if another terror situation arises, Major Sanjiv Roy will fight with his head high. Death? It will come when it has to. Why think of it now?” he said.