On hearing the news of her only son’s death due to a face-off between Indian and Chinese forces, the mother of martyred Colonel Santosh Babu on Tuesday said that she was proud of her son as he sacrificed his life for the sake of the motherland. In a major escalation of violence between the two countries, several soldiers on both sides lost their lives in the Galwan area of Ladakh.
“I am proud of my son. He sacrificed his life for the sake of his motherland. But I feel pain as a mother since I had only one son. I was informed a little late about my son’s death. His wife and children are in Delhi,” said Manjula. “Our daughterin-law is in Delhi and she was informed last night. We received the news in the afternoon,” she said.
Santosh is survived by his wife, nine-year old daughter and a four-year old son.
The soldier had told his family that he would join them within a month but unfortunately, he lost his life before meeting them. His bereaved father has advised the younger generation to join the Army and serve the nation. “We were not ready to believe but were told it is true. We have lost our son,” said Santosh’s father Upender, a retired bank officer.
Colonel Santosh Babu belonged to Suryapet in Telangana. He belonged to the 16th Battalion of Bihar and was serving at Indo-China border for one and a half years. He was transferred to Hyderabad but he stayed there because of some technical reasons including the nationwide lockdown.
An NDA student from Korukonda Sainik School, Hyderabad, he served the Army for 15 years. He was trained in NDA, Indian Military Academy.