#NewDelhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has in a tribute to Siachen braveheart Lance Naik Hanamanthappa said, “The soldier in you remains immortal. Proud that martyrs like you served India.”
Lance Naik Hanamanthappa, 33, died at 11.45 this morning at Delhi’s RR Hospital, four days after he rescued from Siachen, where an avalanche on February 3 buried the Army post he was at.
A wreath laying ceremony will be held at Delhi’s Brar Square at 5.30 pm today. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and three service chiefs will attend and will salute the soldier. PM Modi could also attend the wreath laying ceremony, sources said.
Sources said the Army will consult the soldier’s family on where his last rites will be held. Lance Naik Hanamanthappa was from Karnataka.
Tributes have poured in as India bids farewell to the braveheart.
He leaves us sad & devastated. RIP Lance Naik Hanumanthappa. The soldier in you remains immortal. Proud that martyrs like you served India.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi)
“During his life, the brave heart son of India united the entire Nation in praying for him and has every citizen grieving for him today. He fought till his last displaying utmost valour, courage and determination, which is the hallmark of our Armed Forces,” Congress President Sonia Gandhi said.
Lance Naik Hanamanthappa was found unconscious but miraculously alive six days after the avalanche hit, in a fibre-reinforced hut that served as a base at 19,600 feet on the Siachen glacier. Nine other soldiers from his regiment lay dead beside the Lance Naik when the rescue team reached him after cutting through many layers of hard ice.
PM Modi had visited him at the Delhi hospital, to which the Lance Naik was brought in critical condition, saying he brought “prayers from the entire nation.”. His condition had worsened last night with multiple organ dysfunction. Doctors said he was on maximal life support with aggressive ventilation and dialysis, slipping into a deeper coma.
Leave a Reply