Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan

Introduction

Sandeep Unnikrishnan was an Indian Army officer assigned to the National Security Guards' 51 Special Action Group. He was killed in action during the Mumbai attacks in November 2008.

As a result, he was awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest accolade for courage during a period of peace, on January 26, 2009.

Early & Personal Life

On March 15, 1977, Sandeep Unnikrishnan was born in Kozhikode, Kerala. He was born into a Malayali family who had relocated to Bangalore from Kozhikode, Kerala. He was the lone child of Dhanalakshmi Unnikrishnan and retired ISRO officer K. Unnikrishnan.

Unnikrishnan attended The Frank Anthony Public School in Bangalore and received an ISC Science diploma in 1995. Since he was a young boy, he had aspired to join the military. He had a wife named Neha.

Military Career

Sandeep Unnikrishnan enrolled in the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune, Maharashtra, in 1995. He was a member of the Oscar Squadron and a 94th Course NDA graduate. He had a bachelor's degree in the arts.

He was a student at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun, where he was enrolled in the 104th regular course. He received his IMA degree on June 12, 1999. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Indian Army's 7th Battalion of the Bihar Regiment (Infantry). Despite intense artillery and small arms fire from Pakistani forces at the forward positions during Operation Vijay in July 1999, he was well-liked there. On the evening of December 31, 1999, he commanded a party of six soldiers as they set up a station 200 meters from the enemy side and immediately under surveillance and fire.

He received a substantive promotion to captain on June 12, 2003. He was promoted to major on June 13, 2005. He was first in the "Ghatak course" (at the Infantry Wing Commando School in Belgaum) twice, receiving both an "Instructor grading" and a Commendation.

He furthered his education at the Gulmarg High Altitude Warfare School. He was picked to join the National Security Guards after serving in Siachen, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat (during the Gujarat Riots in 2002), Hyderabad, and Rajasthan. After finishing his training, he was designated as the training officer of the NSG's 51 Special Action Group (51 SAG) in January 2007. He participated in several NSG missions.

Operation Black Tornado

On the evening of November 26, 2008, several structures in South Mumbai were attacked. One of the places where hostages were kept was the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, which is 100 years old. Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan led the 51 Special Action Group (51 SAG) squad dispatched to the hotel to release the detainees. He entered the hotel with a team of ten commandos, ascending to the sixth floor via the stairway. As the squad ascended the stairs after rescuing detainees from the sixth and fifth levels, they suspected terrorists were hiding in a fourth-floor chamber barricaded from the inside. As the commandos tore open the door, a burst of terrorist fire hit Commando Sunil Kumar Yadav in both legs.

Unnikrishnan saved and evacuated Yadav, but the terrorists escaped after detonating a grenade inside the chamber. Unnikrishnan and his colleagues continued to remove captives from the hotel for more than 15 hours. Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and his team ascended the hotel's main staircase around midnight on November 27 because it was their only way to the detainees and terrorists. Terrorists ambushed the NSG squad from the first level when they noticed commandos entering the central staircase, as expected. Sunil Kumar Jodha, a 27-year-old commando, was severely injured by seven bullet wounds: three to his left hand, one to his right palm, two to his right shoulder, and one to his chest. Unnikrishnan remained in the gunfire with the assailants while plotting his escape. When the terrorists attempted to climb to the next story, he decided to follow them alone.

During the ensuing encounter, he single-handedly confined all four terrorists to the Ballroom in the Taj Mahal hotel's northern end. Still, he paid the price by surrendering his life. According to NSG authorities, his last words were, "Don't come up; I will handle them." NSG soldiers then killed all four terrorists stranded in the Mumbai Taj Hotel's Ballroom and Wasabi restaurant.

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sandeep Unnikrishnan

• Sandeep had a basic crew cut since his school days, and he expressed interest in joining the Indian Army. Sandeep attended the National Defence Academy in 1995 after finishing his education at The Frank Anthony Public School, where he graduated as a lieutenant. On June 12, 1999, he was commissioned into the 7th Battalion of the Bihar Regiment (infantry).
• Sandeep fought in the Kargil War in 1999. He and his crew were stationed in advanced positions, facing heavy artillery and small-arms fire from Pakistani soldiers. Later, in December 1999, he was able to establish a post only 200 meters distant from the opposite side.
• Sandeep was promoted to captain on June 12, 2003, and major on June 12, 2005. Sandeep Unnikrishnan opted to join the National Security Guards (NSG) in 2006. After finishing training, he became a member of the NSG's Special Action Group (SAG). During his training, Sandeep completed the 'Ghatak Course,' regarded as one of the most difficult training courses in the Indian Army. He received the 'Instructor' rating and recognition upon completion.
• Sandeep Unnikrishnan was summoned to duty in Mumbai on November 27, 2008. On November 26, 2008, many prominent Mumbai buildings were targeted, including the 100-year-old Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Sandeep was at the head of a squad of NSG commandos tasked with rescuing all of the hostages from the hotel and clearing the area for further protocols.
• The news of his death was released a day later, when the search for captives was still ongoing, and the terrorists were still trapped within the building. The news spread after the targets were neutralized and the hostages were saved. His funeral was attended by a complete military honor guard.
• Sandeep Unnikrishnan's uncle was K Mohanan, and they had a very close relationship. In February 2011, his uncle committed suicide by lighting himself on fire in front of Parliament. His body was burnt 98% by the time medical aid arrived, and therapy began, and he died of a heart attack during treatment. He wrote a suicide note that said-
  Administrators and political party officials were powerless to help the victims of the 26/11 incident... Was it a battle between two countries? Was the government's action following the Kandahar incident to blame for the Mumbai attack? Sandu mon, (Sandeep Unnikrishnan), you're being forgotten by the day, but I can't."
• The 26/11 assaults prompted several filmmakers to tell the horrible story of the tragedy in films like 'The Assaults of 26/11' (2013), directed by Ram Gopal Varma, and a ZEE5 web series 'Operation Black Tornado' (2018), among others.
• Sony Pictures Entertainment filed two titles called 'Major' and 'Major Sandeep' with the producers association in 2020 to film a biopic on Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan. Mahesh Babu produced the film, and actor Adivi Sesh portrayed the prominent role of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan.
• Before primary filming began, the actors of the film met with Sandeep's parents to persuade them that the production intended to produce a film in his honor. Before beginning work on the film, the producers and cast sought Sandeep's parental permission.

Conclusion

In his honor, the Mother Dairy Double Road in Bengaluru was renamed Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan Road, a 4.5 km (2.8 mi) length between Federal-Mogul on Doddaballapur Road to MS Palya intersection within Yelahanka New Town. In his honor, a bust of Unnikrishnan is built at the Ramamurthy Nagar Outer Ring Road intersection in Bangalore.

Unnikrishnan's bust may be seen near the entrance to the Indian Education Society on Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road in Mumbai. Sandeep Vihar is an army housing complex in Whitefield, Bangalore, with a bust of Unnikrishnan erected in the middle.