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Saturday, August 28, 1999
A martyr returns home, unsung
Anuradha Nagaraj
NEW DELHI, AUG 27: Six years after his commission, eight months after his wedding and a month after his promotion, Major Ranbir Katoch went on one of many counter-insurgency missions. And last week, he came back home. In the family's words, it was the homecoming of a hero -- a man they loved and a man who had died in a counter-insurgency operation in the Anantnag district of south Kashmir.For the people of the Capital and the Katochs' hometown Palampur, Ranbir is another martyr to honour. On August 21, Major Ranbir Katoch from Air Defence, who was on deputation with 7 Rashtriya Rifles, started out on another mission. His job was to flush out militants operating in the area. Katoch and his search party reached the location after a gruelling seven-hour patrol. In the early hours of the morning, Katoch and his men came under heavy fire. What followed was three hours of gunfire exchange. Katoch saw two militants go down before he died of his injuries. Recounting the story of Katoch's courage under fire,his elder brother Rajinder says: ``He had just been promoted to the rank of an acting Major. He was due to come home on leave next month. We were expecting his arrival, but not like this.'' Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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