B. Santosh Babu

A native of Suryapet in Telangana, Babu was the only son of Bikkumalla Upender, a retired manager with the State Bank of India[7][8] and his wife Manjula.[2][9] From 1988 to 1993, during his Class I to Class V years, he studied in Sri Saraswathi Shishumandir School at Luxettipet in Mancherial district.[8] He was described by his schoolmates and teachers as a brilliant student. After primary school, Santosh was accepted to a Sainik School in Korukonda, Vizianagaram district,[8] where he studied through Class XII.[2]

In 2010, Babu married Santoshi.[10] The couple had a daughter Abhigna (aged nine at her father's death) and a son Anirudh (aged four). His family resided in Delhi.[2]

Babu enrolled in the Indian Military Academy,[9] and subsequently joined the 105th Course of the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Pune, Maharashtra in 2004. During his time at the NDA, he belonged to the "November" squadron.[11] He was commissioned a lieutenant in 16 Bihar on 10 December 2004, one of 105 successful cadets.[1] After passing out, he was posted to Jammu and Kashmir state.[12]

He was promoted to captain on 10 December 2006,[13] followed by promotion to major on 10 December 2010.[14] He attended the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington. During his service, he was attached to the Rashtriya Rifles in Jammu and Kashmir, and also served with the UN peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the ongoing Kivu conflict.[11] Colleagues who served with him described him as "empathetic, yet bold." During a major joint operation conducted by DRC and South African forces against Nduma Defense of Congo (NDC) rebels, Babu and his unit were caught in cross-fire, yet his bold actions prevented the rebels from inflicting casualties on the joint force.[15] During his posting in the Congo, Babu was described as kind and generous towards local residents, assisting them with medical and other needs.[15]

Babu was promoted lieutenant-colonel on 10 December 2017.[16] He received another posting to Jammu and Kashmir in 2019,[10] and assumed command of 16 Bihar in December 2019.[11] He was promoted full colonel in February 2020.[2] At the time of his death, he was expecting to be posted to Hyderabad.[12]

Following high-level talks during the 2020 skirmishes with the PLA in eastern Ladakh, 16 Bihar monitored the Chinese forces in the Galwan Valley to ensure their disengagement. On 14 June, Babu led a delegation to meet his Chinese counterparts.[9] After observing an apparent lack of inclination by PLA troops to move from their positions, Babu led another delegation to the Chinese side on the night of 15 June.[17] The PLA troops, appearing to have readied themselves and outnumbering the Indian troops three to one, then reportedly attacked the delegation with sticks, stones and clubs wrapped in barbed wire. Babu and two other soldiers, Havildar Palani and Sepoy Kundan Ojha, suffered serious injuries as a result and succumbed to wounds, while 17 other soldiers and junior commissioned officers also died from various injuries.[9][17][11]

Babu's body was flown by military aircraft to the military airport at Hakimpet in Telangana, arriving at 7 p.m. local time on 17 June. From there, his remains were driven to his family's farm at Kesaram village in Suryapet. His body was cremated with full military honours at around 12 p.m. local time on 18 June, with his father lighting the funeral pyre. Despite the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic, his funeral was attended by thousands of mourners from the area, with police on hand to ensure distancing and hygiene were maintained.[18]

Following Babu's death, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao announced the state government would award his family an ex gratia payment of ₹5 crore (US$701,000), along with a residential plot and a Group-I government job for his wife Santoshi.[19] The chief minister also announced the state would award ₹10 lakh (US$14,020) each to the families of the 19 other soldiers who had been killed. CM Chandrasekhar Rao visited Santosh Babu's home at Suryapet June 22 to give the strength and to assure the support of telangana Government [19]

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