Colonel Mahadik was an alumnus of Sainik School, Satara in Maharashtra.
Mumbai:
Classmates of Colonel Santosh Mahadik, an army officer from Maharashtra, who was killed at the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir's Kupwara district, have sent 300 kg of sweets to soldiers in his unit.
Colonel Santosh Mahadik, the commander of 41 Rashtriya Rifles, was seriously injured during the operation in Haji Naka forest area of Kupwara in November 2015 and later died of his injuries at a hospital.
A classmate of Colonel Mahadik, involved in this initiative, told PTI that the 300 kg “mithai” boxes had landed at Srinagar airport from Chandigarh in an Air Force transport aircraft and were delivered to the personnel of the 41 Rashtriya Rifles for distribution among the martyr's soldiers. once ordered.
Colonel Mahadik was an alumnus of Sainik School, Satara in Maharashtra.
“As we do every Diwali, we also remembered his comrades, who are suffering from harsh climates, and the enemy from across the border. We thought this would be a kind gesture for soldiers, who are spending Diwali away from their families,” he said. .
Colonel Mahadik, an officer of the elite 21st Para-Special Forces unit, was awarded a Sena Medal for gallantry in 2003 during Operation Rhino in the Northeast.
Col Mahadik was a top footballer, an accomplished horse rider and a tough boxer and was an all-rounder, his friends recalled.
Despite the inhospitable terrain that made the operation in Kupwara extremely challenging, the colonel chose to lead his unit above all.
Colonel Mahadik's classmates, including several serving and retired officers of the armed forces, have launched the initiative which they call 'Operation Diwali'.
The sweets reached Kupwara on Friday and will be taken to the border posts where they will be distributed among the soldiers, a classmate of Colonel Mahadik said.
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