Remembering Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan: A hero of the 26/11 Mumbai attack

“You are going into an operation where you have to pull the trigger not with your fingers but with your mind and brain. Along with the terrorists, our own people are also inside. Therefore, do not fire the first bullet from your gun without seeing and making sure that the person standing opposite you has a weapon with him to attack you. Do not let a single civilian die with your bullet. “

Major Sandeep led an operation that had to adhere to many such restrictions. Just as Israel attacked Hamas in Gaza, Israel has always advanced by adopting a policy of not giving in to the enemy’s blackmailing tactics, even if it means ignoring the safety of hostages. Israel’s first priority is the total destruction of the enemy. However, India has never dared to go full throttle in a war when the lives of our civilians were at stake—be it during Kargil, Kandahar, or the Taj Hotel attacks. An operation that disregards the security of our people remains a weakness of our armed forces. But as a democratic country, it is also our strength and obligation.

The 51 Special Actions Group, led by Brigadier Sunil Sharon, faced the terrorists at three locations. Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan led a team and entered the Taj Hotel in Mumbai with the NSG commando group to confront the terrorists hiding there. A terrorist, sitting in a secure position and ready to die, is facing Major Sandeep, who confronts him with a civilian human shield and his gun. Major Sandeep did not fight to save himself but to save the lives of innocent people.

Major Sandeep was shot while saving his colleague from the terrorist’s line of fire. Despite being wounded, he told his colleague not to come up and that he would take down the terrorist. This was the reason why there were fewer casualties on the Indian side. After a fight on the fifth and sixth floors of the Taj, Sandeep’s team was able to corner all the terrorists to one side. Sandeep’s team brought 14 people safely out of the Taj. Although the terrorists were defeated, the country lost its brave Major forever. The country awarded him the Ashoka Chakra as a posthumous honour.

Memorials have been erected in many places in the country for those who died bravely in the Mumbai terror attacks. But has there been an official memorial in our State of Kerala for a Malayali NSG commando Major Sandeep, who fought bravely in that attack and died a heroic death? No.

But we have memorials in Kerala in the name of a religious extremist named Variyam Kunnath Ahammed Haji, who committed a Hindu Genocide in 1921 in the Malabar region and declared a free Islamic Kingdom with a black flag and named as Al-Daula, way before ISIS did it.

Can it be forgotten that the then Chief Minister, Comrade Achuthanandan, tried to gain political advantage by visiting Major Sandeep’s house, only to be thrown out by the Major’s father? Later, Achuthanandan described Sandeep’s father with abusive words. It should be remembered that the Left played such a political drama while the entire country was shedding tears for Major Sandeep.

It is the government’s responsibility to provide a well-deserved memorial for Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan in Kerala. That should be the apology of the Kerala community to Major Sandeep. It is a form of atonement for the injustice committed by a communist Chief Minister who once held power in the state.