Son gives Colonel the final salute
Thousands line up to pay tribute; Statue, road in Suryapet for Col. Santosh Babu, wife to be offered state job
Too young to perform the last rites of his father Col B. Santosh Babu, who was killed by Chinese troops during clashes at Galwan valley in Ladakh, Anirudh, his four-year-old son was carried around the funeral pyre by his mother Santoshi.
The young boy tried to hold his grandfather B. Upender’s arm as the father of the fallen Army official performed the last rites. The funeral was held with full military honours with an Army contingent presenting a three-gun salute, at a farm plot in Kesaram village, near Suryapet, on Thursday.
The four-year-old placed a sliver of wood on the pyre in a scene that reduced the most stoic bystanders to tears. When the little boy, held by his mother, offered a firm salute as the fire engulfed his father’s body, there were few eyes that were dry. Even as his mother was being consoled by members of the family, Anirudh was held by one of his uncles as he saluted his father.
As Army officials and family members carried the body of Col. Santosh Babu around the pyre as part of the rituals, Anirudh’s hand would slip from his grandfather’s arm and his mother would help him hold on again in a symbolic gesture of the son of the fallen solider performing the final rites.
Anirudh’s sister Abhignya, just nine years old, told a TV network that her father used to tell them to be “strong, brave, and not cry.”
She too, probably too young to comprehend what she and her family is going through right now, said her father always took time to play with them but sometimes he would not when he was busy.
“He was fighting with Chinese soldiers and died,” she said. Her father, she said would call on alternate days and talk with them via video calls.
“Every street,” she observed, “has daddy’s posters.” “In the news also he is being talked about. I feel very sad and cried a lot but I am controlling myself. Mummy is also crying but we are both totally controlling ourselves,” the girl said.
I feel very proud of Col. Santosh Babu as he was from Suryapet.
He served the country. The least we can do is join the funeral procession and pay homage. — S. SRIKANTH Suryapet resident
I am very proud of Col. Santhos Babu, he did what many of us can’t even imagine of doing. As a part of our duty, we should ban Chinese goods. I regret that I didn’t join the Army to serve the nation. — P. VIJAY KUMAR Resident of village 40 km from Suryapet
We can't forget his scarifice. We all owe the family. We can’t make up for the family’s loss but I hope more and more people are inspired by his sacrifice and join the military. — BHASKAR
As thousands of people on Thursday lined the streets, followed the hearse and, amidst continuous chants of ‘Santhosh Babu amar rahe’, ‘Indian Army zindabad’, ‘Bharat Mata ki jai,’ and ‘Jab tak suraj chand rahega tab tak Santosh ka naam rahega,’ the body of Colonel B. Santosh Babu was consigned to the flames in an emotionally charged Suryapet that bid a final farewell to the Army officer who was killed in a skirmish with Chinese soldiers in Galwan valley in Ladakh.
The funeral was held with full military honours with a contingent from the Army presenting a threegun salute at the funeral. His body was carried to the pyre from officials from the defence forces including members from the 16 Bihar Regiment, to which Col. Santosh Babu belonged.
Earlier, Col Santosh Babu’s body arrived here at around midnight on Wednesday but the late hours did not deter hundreds of people from lining the road and the lane leading to the martyred military officer’s residence well into Thursday morning.
The Tricolour-wrapped coffin carrying the body was brought in an ambulance and was accompanied by his wife Santhoshi. During the journey from the Indian Air Force station at Hakimpet near Hyderabad, on the national highway between Hyderabad and Vijayawada, hundreds more people lined up waving the Indian flag and shouting slogans of ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’, and ‘Santosh Babu amar rahe’.
The six-kilometre route from Col. Santosh Babu’s house to a farm plot in
Kesaram village saw a long procession with thousands of people following the hearse — an Army truck that was covered in a giant Indian flag. While passing through the town, hundreds more who had gathered on terraces of their homes and balconies showered flowers on the procession.
During the cremation, an Indian Army guard conducted the ceremonial drill and presented a guard of honour to Col Santhosh Babu. His wife was presented with the uniform of the martyred officer by Army officials who also handed over the Tricolour that covered his body till moments before the funeral pyre was lit by his father B. Upender.
Among those who paid their last respects to Col. Santosh Babu were energy minister G. Jagadish Reddy, representing the state government, district officials, senior police officers, members of Parliament N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, the TPCC president, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the state BJP president, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Dharmapuri Aravind, ex-MP G. Vivek along with former Union minister M.M. Pallam Raju were at the funeral and paid their tributes.Jagadish Reddy announced that a bronze statue of Col. B. Santosh Babu would be erected in Suryapet. A junction in Suryapet will be named after him while steps will be taken for maintenance and landscaping of the funeral site in Kesaram village.
The minister, deputed by the government to oversee the arrangements, said after the funeral that the government will extend every support to Col Santosh Babu’s family. The Chief Minister has agreed to a proposal to provide a government job to Santosh Babu’s wife.
Suryapet resident