gallantry award

1. St.John'sSen. Sec. School,
Atrauli
IC-80532L MAJOR SANDEEP
KUMAR UNNIKRISHNAN, THE
GRENADIERS, 55TH BATTALION, THE
RASHTRIYA RIFLES
My-self: Tejveer singh
From:11-A
(Bravery of IC-8O532L MAJOR
SANDEEP KUMARUNNIKRISHNAN,
THE GRENADIERS,55TH BATTALION,
THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES).
Sandeep Unnikrishnan (15
March 1977 - 28 November 2008)was a
Major in the Indian Army serving in the elite
Special Action Group of the National
Security Guards (NSG). He was killed in
action while fighting terrorists in the
November 2008 Mumbaiattacks.[11] His
bravery was honoured with the Ashoka
Chakra, India's highest peace time
gallantry award, on 26 January 2009.[2]

2. "Do not come up, I will
handle them", were
the last words which Major Unnikrishnan
told his men as he was hit by bullets while
engaging terrorists inside the Taj Mahal
Palace & Tower during Operation Black
Tornado, according to NSG officials.[3]
Later, NSGsources clarified that when a
Guardsman got injured during the
operation, Major Unnikrishnan arranged for
his evacuation and started chasing the
terrorists himself. The terroristsescaped to
another floor of the hotel and duringthe
chase Major Unnikrishnan was seriously
injured and succumbed to his injuries.
[3]Sandeep Unnikrishnan came from a Nair
family residing inBangalore, where they
had moved to from Cheruvannur,
Kozhikode District, Kerala.[4] He was the
only son of retired ISROofficer K.
Unnikrishnan and Dhanalakshmi
Unnikrishnan.
Unnikrishnan spent 14 years at the Frank
Anthony Public School, Bangalore,
graduating in 1995 in the ISC Science
stream. A popular figure among his
contemporaries, he wanted to join the

3. Army,even attending school in a crew cut.
His peers and teachers recalled him as
beinga good athlete who was active in
schoolactivities and sportsevents.[6] He
was also a member of the schoolchoir, and
very interested in movies.[6][7]
Army career
Sandeep joined the National Defence
Academy (NDA), Pune, Maharashtra in
1995. He was a cadet, part of the Oscar
Squadron (No. 4 Battalion) and a graduate
of the 94th Course of NDA. He graduated
as a Bachelor of Arts (Socialscience
stream). His NDA friends remember him as
"selfless", "generous" and "calm and
composed".[8]
MAJOR SANDEP UNNIKRISHNAN
13Mor 197T
8 N
008
In 1995, we were a bunch of gangly
18-year-olds,wondering what the hell we

4. ere doing climbingup Sinhgad fort on a
miserable,rainy day, whenIfirst met Unni.
He was an ikki, a first termer, bone-weary,
but always gung-ho. When we made it to
the top, the first stop was for a fill of water.
Soggy, bushed and thirsty, we ran to the
naturalspring that has been feeding
soldiers since the days of Chhatrapati
Shivaji. Unniwas the first to reach and
started drawing water from the wel. We
lined up with our canteens, but a tourist
first held out her water bottle. Unnifilled it.
Then,another. Unnifilled that too. Within
seconds, there was a long line of tourists
waiting for water. Without a word- and
with a smile to us -Unnidutifully doled out
his generosity. He never got to us. He
himself never got a sip. The order came to
move on.[8]

5. P
AN NDA COURSEMATE
His happy-go-lucky face masked a
ruthless and determined soldier, so did his
thin physique hide a tough, never-give-up
spirit that was seen in various training
camps and cross country races he
participated in with in the ND
He was commissioned as Lieutenant to the
7th Battalion of the Bihar Regiment[1]

6. (Infantry) on 12 July 1999. After serving the
Indian Army in different locations in Jammu
& Kashmir and Rajasthan to counter
insurgencies for two terms, he was
selected to join the National Security
Guards.On completion of training, he was
assigned to the Special Action Group
(SAG)of NSG on January 2007 and
participated in various operations of the
NSG.[9] He was a popular officer who was
loved and adored by his seniors and juniors
alike. During the Ghatak course' (at the
Commando Wing (Infantry School),
Belgaum), the most difficult course of the
Army, Major Unnikrishnan topped the
cOurse, earning an "Instructor Grading" and
commendation from seniors. Perhaps this
was the reason or his passion for bravery
that he opted for the NSGcommando
service which he joined on deputation in
2006.