Col Santosh Babu’s mother says proud of son’s martyrdom

New Delhi, June 17, 2020: Manjula, the mother of Colonel Santosh Babu, who was martyred in the conflict with the Chinese soldiers, said that she was devastated for the loss of her son, but also proud of his supreme sacrifice for the country. On the other hand, Colonel Babu also fulfilled his father’s dream of serving the country. His father himself wanted to serve the country by joining the army. Col Babu’s father BC Upendra said, “I wanted to join the army myself, but it could not happen and I had to do a bank job, so I sent my son to the army despite disagreements with relatives.”

The martyred and wounded soldiers belong to the 16 Bihar Regiment. Col Babu, a resident of Suryapet district of Telangana, was leading the Indian contingent. 20 military personnel of the Indian Army have been killed in violent skirmishes with Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which marks the Indo-China border. At the same time, more than 43 soldiers of China were also killed, injured in this ambush, media reports stated.

Col Babu was posted on the border and his wife and son were living in Delhi. The parents live in Suryapet. Family members said that Colonel Babu was going to be posted in Hyderabad soon. This had made the family happy.

Col Babu’s mother Manjula said that she had spoken with him on Sunday night. They had discussed the tension on the border and she had asked him to be vigilant. Colonel Babu’s family was informed of his martyrdom on Tuesday afternoon. His body will reach Suryapet by Wednesday.

Telangana Chief Minister KR expressed condolences for the martyrdom of Colonel Babu and his family members, Chandrasekhar Rao said that his government was with the martyr’s family. He has taken the responsibility of cremation of the martyr with full respect, making Cabinet Minister Jagdish Reddy a representative of the state government.