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Fallen commando deserves Param Vir Chakra, say villagers

This tiny village (population 1200), barely 10km from Behror town in Alwar district of Rajasthan on National Highway 8, is gradually coming to grips with its newly acquired fame, thanks to the supreme sacrifice of intrepid National Security Guardsman Suresh Chandra Yadav.

The 41-year-old commando with the rank of inspector had volunteered to spearhead the counter-attack on the two terrorists who had killed 30 devotees and injured another 100 inside the Akshardham temple complex and were potentially threatening the lives of hundreds others.

Ducking the hail of bullets being sprayed from automatic weapons by the terrorists, Yadav asked for a grenade to lob at them. But the ultras ducked behind a wall in the darkness, leaving the commando guessing about their precise location.

Intent on neutralising the murderous duo, Yadav determinedly pushed ahead and rose, weapon in hand, to charge them. A crack sounded in the darkness and a bullet ripped through the commando's right temple. His lifeless body fell, almost in slow motion, as his comrades screamed with shock and fury. The time was 0130 IST, September 25.

Hardly five and a half hours later, Yadav's comrades had pumped several bullets into the two terrorists after a nightlong gun-battle. Reporters and photographers jostled one another to catch a glimpse of the two young men who had caused such fear and tension inside the temple premises. The 0800 news bulletins spoke of how the brave commando had died so that others could live. The terrorist siege of Akshardham was over.

"My son died as he lived, ever ready to protect the threatened," said Subedar Gokul Singh, himself a retired soldier, as he wiped a tear and regained his composure. "In his case, he was dealing with hardened terrorists. But his training and spirit caused him to take up the challenge of wresting the initiative. He paid for it with his life. But I don't think he would have regretted his decision. Come to think of it, neither do I."

The nation paid grateful homage to the fallen hero on Thursday. Central ministers Sharad Yadav and Vasundhararaje Scindia descended by helicopter on the village's middle-school ground to pay their (and the central government's) floral tributes. So did a couple of Rajasthan state ministers, many NSG commandos, including their director-general, and hundreds of villagers.

The silence and the tears said it all. "Long live, brave son!" The commando was cremated at the school ground.

Bhoop Singh, a teacher, reminisced fondly about his dead kid brother. "There was steel in his character," he said. "There was this irresistible urge to prove that he had it in him. But he was not showy. On the contrary, everybody liked the quiet dignity around him."

The village of Khatan Khera has not done too badly for itself. Subedar Gokul Singh's single-storey concrete house has modern amenities like a television and a power generator. But the narrow dirt road flanked by cotton and maize fields reminds you that the village has some way to go to catch up with the fast-modernising world.

Yadav studied till class five in the village primary school before moving on to the Behror senior secondary school and Kotputli College in Jaipur. When he heard that the elite NSG was recruiting fighters willing to sacrifice their lives for the country, he volunteered. He made the grade, but had to put his graduation on hold.

The tough life in the NSG made him tougher. Eventually he graduated with a BA degree and moved up the ladder to reach the coveted rank of inspector.

Speaking through a nostalgic haze, the fond father said: "Suresh was disappointed when he could not accompany the NSG commandos to flush out [sandalwood smuggler] Veerappan from the dense jungles of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. He had also wanted to go to Jammu to fight the terrorists. So he volunteered to go when the NSG Institute in Manesar [in Haryana] let it be known that selected commandos were being sent to taken on the terrorists who had unleashed death and destruction in Akshardham."

"My brother went, and went willingly," added Bhoop Singh as his voice trailed off in muted sobs. "I can only say that fate had ordained it."

A congregation of village elders came and sat quietly in the front yard of the retired sergeant's house. "We want Suresh to get the Param Vir Chakra [the country's highest military decoration]," rang out the voice of honorary Captain Ram Singh, who fought in all three wars in 1962, 1965, and 1971, just like his comrade Subedar Gokul Singh.

Another elder whispered that it was the least the government could do for the fallen commando.

Shock was writ large on the faces of other members of Yadav's family, especially wife Santra, daughter Sunita, and sons Manoj and Sandeep.

The villagers grow lentils, apart from cotton and maize, but the failure of the monsoon this year has put them in dire economic straits, because there is no canal for irrigation.

"Compensation-wise, I think he [Yadav] will benefit under the Kargil package," Bhoop Singh said. The package consists of Rs 100,000 in cash, 20 bighas of land or a further Rs 400,000, an LPG gas agency and a [government] job for one of the martyr's children.

"It is sufficient," said Ram Singh, "but the central government can encourage us a lot more by giving us some amenities for development."

According to Ram Singh, the village badly needs a library, some incentives for sports, and some for preparing one to serve the country in the armed forces or paramilitary forces.

"Already 30 of our boys are serving in the security forces," Subedar Gokul Singh said. "I say this with all modesty that should the government provide us with some amenities, our Suresh Chandra Yadavs will be tripping over themselves to make the supreme sacrifice for the motherland."

The other village elders nodded gravely.

ALSO SEE:
Farewell to a Hero: A slide show

The Temple Attack: Complete Coverage
The Swaminarayan sect

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