New Delhi: Mortal remains of Lance Naik Chandrashekhar were recovered after 38 years from the Siachen glacier in Ladakh. He was among the soldiers who went missing during Operation Meghdoot in 1984. The remains were handed over to Lance Naik Chandrashekhar’s family in Haldwani, Uttarakhand.
His family includes his wife Shanti Devi and two daughters. An official statement issued by Udhampur-based Defence PRO Lt Col Abhinav said that Lance Naik Chandrashekhar was part of a 20-member Army patrol that was hit by an avalanche on May 29, 1984, on way to Shankar Top.
#WATCH | Mortal remains of Lance Naik Chandrashekhar, recovered after 38 years from Siachen glacier brought to his home in Haldwani, Uttarakhand
The jawan had gone missing in an Avalanche on May 29, 1984, during operation Meghdoot pic.twitter.com/GA0HfyFygg
— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2022
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami also reached Haldwani, the hometown of Lance Naik Chandrashekhar to pay his last respects. Haldwani sub-collector Manish Kumar and Tehsildar Sanjay Kumar reached Shanti Devi’s house and said his last rites will be performed with full military honours.
A patrol party of Rajasthan Rifles came across a shelter that looked like it had been destroyed by an avalanche. During the search, they found the remains, torn clothes and an Army disc. The Army PRO said the bodies of 12 of the 20 soldiers were recovered during a search operation, while the remains of the rest were never found.
At the time, when Lance Naik Chandrashekhar went missing, his marriage to Shanti Devi was just nine years old. His wife also said that she was 28 years old and their elder daughter was four while the younger one was just one-and-a-half years old.
Operation Meghdoot was an operation by the Indian Armed Forces, that aimed at taking control of Siachen Glacier on the morning of April 13, 1984. It was known that Pakistan was attempting to capture the glacier and thus the Indian Armed Forces acted successfully completed Operation Meghdoot.
