Shinde, the first martyr from Pune district was part of the 18 Garhwal Rifles that successfully launched the assault on Tololing Heights and later on Tiger Hill. After successfully vanquishing the enemy on Tololing Heights, the unit was raring to go. A few days of waiting and finally they were asked to launch the attack on Tiger Hills.

Tiger Hills was a major psychological barrier and it was imperative that the Indian army recaptured it from enemy hands. Along with Shinde's unit, the 2 Rajputana Rifles and the Grenadiers were also in place. Each unit had been given a specific point to capture on the hilly terrain.

Shinde's unit was detailed for thepeak numbered as 4700, a good 15,000 ft above sea level. They waited until sundown and then the action began. According to Naik Mahadeo Jagtap, who accompanied Shinde's body to Pune, ``we moved out after 2200 hours.''

The most difficult part of an attack is the climb. Undertaken in the dark of the night, the mountain face is almost straight with very few cracks for footholds. And the heavy firing by the Pakistanis made matters worse for Shinde's unit.

``The Pakistanis were shouting at us as we moved from point to point,'' recalls Jagtap. ``The company was led by Captain Sumit Roy and he was closely followed by Shinde. After midnight the Pakistanis started retreating and this resulted in a panic. The enemy started shelling us as we crouched behind boulders firing back at the bunkers.''

It all happened in a second. The shell landed with devastating effect and hit Capt Roy and Shinde. The first splinter sliced through Shinde's lower abdomen and was followed by another.

However, worse was yet to come.``Due to the constant firing and shelling by the Pakistanis, we had to wait for almost 12 hours before we could evacuate him,'' Jagtap says. Hours that proved crucial for the Maratha as his buddies watched helplessly, pinned down by the shelling.

By the time they returned to base camp and administered first aid, it was too late.

Meanwhile, back home at Pingori village in Saswad district, a doctor is attending to Shinde's heartbroken wife Chaya, while his three little children will take some time realising that papa is never going to return.