AIIMS Raipur pays tribute to Martyr Lt Rajiv Pandey, felicitates his mother

RAIPUR: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur, paid a heartfelt tribute to Second Lieutenant Rajiv Pandey, Vir Chakra, who sacrificed his life for the nation on 29 May 1987 at Siachen Glacier.

On the occasion of the 79th Independence Day, AIIMS Raipur felicitated Pandey's mother, Shakuntala Pandey. The event was held under the theme “Honouring freedom, inspiring the future.

”A resident of Raipur, Rajiv Pandey was born to Col R P Pandey (Retd), an Army surgeon, and Shakuntala Pandey. He was commissioned into the 8 JAK LI (Siachen) battalion, also known as the ‘Bravest of the Brave.’In May 1987, Second Lieutenant Rajiv Pandey led a reconnaissance mission to capture Quaid Post at 21,000 feet.

Just 30 metres from the peak, Pandey and five of his comrades were killed while securing the approach route. He was posthumously awarded the Vir Chakra for his bravery, which paved the way for the capture of the post. The post was later renamed Bana Top after Nb Sub Bana Singh, PVC.Lt Gen Ashok Jindal (Retd), Executive Director and CEO of AIIMS Raipur, who served as a medical officer with 8 JAK LI on Siachen Glacier shortly after the operation, shared that Second Lieutenant Rajiv Pandey became an inspiration for him and his fellow soldiers.

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ecalling in his chapter “A Doctor Remembers the Battle” from the book Beyond NJ 9842: The Siachen Saga by Nitin A. Gokhle, Jindal said he was inducted into the Northern glacier in July 1987 for a four-month tenure. He reached Kumar Base, where the battalion headquarters of 8 JAK LI was located, and heard stories of the heroic capture of Bana Top during Operation Rajiv, codenamed after Second Lieutenant Rajiv Pandey.Jindal also remembered the officer's shelter at Kumar Base, where a birthday card sent by Pandey's sister arrived a day after his martyrdom. He said the entire battalion had volunteered for Operation Rajiv. While he treated many gunshot wounds, casualties due to severe frostbite far outnumbered actual battle casualties. The soldiers fought for three consecutive nights at minus 30 degrees Celsius.On this Independence Day, AIIMS Raipur also felicitated selected employees for their outstanding performance. Under the TB Mukt Chhattisgarh Abhiyan, food baskets were distributed to TB patients by Nikshay Mitras, an event organised by the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP). Students also performed a cultural programme.