Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan’s wife, Neha, lost her husband in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks on November 26.
How Neha Unnikrishnan met Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan?
According to reports, Neha (also known as Isha) and Sandeep Unnikrishnan met while studying at Bangalore’s Frank Anthony Public School for 14 years.
Who was Sandeep Unnikrishnan?
Sandeep Unnikrishnan was an officer in the Indian Army who was on deputation with the National Security Guards’ 51 Special Action Group. During the attack on Mumbai in November 2008, he was martyred in the line of duty. As a result, on January 26, 2009, he received the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest honor for bravery.
26/11 Mumbai Attacks – Operation Black Tornado
The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the Oberoi Trident, and Nariman House were among the prominent buildings in Mumbai that were invaded by a group of ten terrorists from the Pakistani Islamist terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba on November 26, 2008. The militants held numerous hostages within these buildings.
Sandeep Unnikrishnan was assigned the role of “team leader” of the 51 Special Action Group (51 SAG) after the attacks, which was sent to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel to free the captives. The captives on the fifth and sixth floors were freed by Sandeep Unnikrishnan and his team shortly after entering the hotel with ten commandos. Unnikrishnan and his group of ten commandos afterward suspected the existence of terrorists in a room on the fourth floor that was locked from the inside as they descended the stairway.
Commando Sunil Kumar Yadav sustained both leg injuries when the terrorists’ crossfire hit him when Unnikrishnan and his squad were breaking through the door. The terrorists escaped the room after exploding a grenade inside, however, Major Unnikrishnan managed to save and evacuate Commando Sunil Kumar Yadav. Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and his team persisted in removing captives from the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel for roughly the following 15 hours.
Martyrdom and Ashoka Chakra
Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan gave his life after fighting with terrorists in the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel on November 27, 2008, at around midnight. Before he gave his life, he had cornered all four terrorists in the hotel’s Ballroom at the northern end.
On January 26, 2009, President Pratibha Patil presented him with the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest civilian gallantry medal, in recognition of his martyrdom. His mother, Dhanalakshmi Unnikrishnan, accepted the award.
The official citation for the Ashoka Chakra award reads –
“Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan led the commando operation launched on 27 November 2008 to flush out terrorists from Hotel Taj Mahal, Mumbai in which he rescued fourteen hostages. During the operation, his team came under intense hostile fire, in which one of his team members got grievously injured. Major Sandeep pinned down the terrorists with accurate fire and rescued the injured commando to safety. In the process, he was shot in his right arm. Despite his injuries, he continued to fight the terrorists till his last breath. Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan displayed most conspicuous bravery besides camaraderie and leadership of the highest order and made the supreme sacrifice for the nation.”
Major – A Biopic on Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan
In February 2019, Telugu film actor Mahesh Babu announced a biopic titled ‘Major,’ displaying the inspiring journey of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, right from his childhood to his final hours; the film was produced by Sony Pictures India and A+S Movies in a collaboration with Mahesh Babu’s studio G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment.
2 July 2021 was chosen as the theatrical release date of the film. The film was shot in two languages, Malayalam and Hindi.
