Mangaluru: The city paid tributes to the ten soldiers including Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad who died in the Siachen avalanche recently, here at the War Memorial near Kadri park here on Saturday, February 13.
The ceremony was organized by Dakshina Kannada Ex-Servicemen’s Association, Mangaluru in association with Shastavu Sri Bhoothanatheshwara Temple Trust, Lions Clubs International, District 317 D and Rotary Club.
Brigadier TN Rai urged the gathering to remember the sacrifice of the soldiers and stay united. “Soldiers from different states unite and fight the opposition to protect us. However, we the people of one state fight with the neighouring states on water and land issues among others. This is unfortunate.”
Explaining the conditions at Siachen where the soldiers guard our country, he said that it is the highest and coldest battlefield in the world located at an altitude of about 20,000 ft. Soldiers cook food in one utensil and eat in one plate. There is acute shortage of water and they break ice to get water.
As many as 10 soldiers were buried in the avalanche on February 3. They are Subedar Nagesha TT, resident of village Tejur, Hassan district Karnataka; Havaldar Elum alai M, resident of village Dukkam Parai, Vellore district, Tamil Nadu; Lance Havildar S. Kumar, resident of village Kumanan Thozhu, Teni district, Tamil Nadu; Lance Naik Sudheesh B, resident of village Monroethuruth, Kollam district, Kerala; Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, resident of village Betadur, Dharwad district, Karnataka; Sepoy Mahesha PN, resident of village HD Kote, Mysore district, Karnataka; Sepoy Ganesan G, resident of village Chokkathevan Patti, Madurai district, Tamil Nadu; Sepoy Rama Moorthy N, resident of village Gudisa tana Palli, Krishna Giri district, Tamil Nadu; Sepoy Mustaq Ahmed S, resident of village Parnapalle, Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh; and Sepoy Nursing Assistant Suryawanshi SV, resident of village Maskarwadi, Satara district, Maharashtra.
