Uncanny link between deaths of two heroes
Their brave fight against death lasted around a week as the country prayed for a miracle on both occasions. Both were sole survivors. Both were in their 30s. And both their families were hoping against hope that they would defeat death. Both will be remembered.
An uncanny parallel between the passing away of Group Captain Varun Singh and Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, who was killed along with nine others on the Siachen glacier five years ago, emerged on Wednesday.
Their brave fight against death lasted around a week as the country prayed for a miracle on both occasions. Both were sole survivors. Both were in their 30s. And both their families were hoping against hope that they would defeat death. Both will be remembered.
Koppad survived six days buried under an avalanche in Siachen in February 2016 before he died at the Army Hospital (Research and Referral) in Delhi. Singh passed away on Wednesday at the Air Force Command Hospital in Bengaluru after a weeklong brave fight against death.
Koppad was among 10 soldiers who were swept away by an ice wall on February 3, 2016, while guarding the Sonam post located at 20,500 feet. The 33-year-old was from 19 Madras.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in paying homage to both Koppad and Singh. “He leaves us sad and devastated. RIP Lance Naik Hanumanthappa. The soldier in you remains immortal. Proud that martyrs like you served India,” Modi then said in a tweet.
Group Captain Singh was the only man to have survived the December 8 Mi-17V5 chopper crash that killed 13 people, including the chief of defence staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat. He was 39.
“Group Captain Varun Singh served the nation with pride, valour and utmost professionalism. I am extremely anguished by his passing away. His rich service to the nation will never be forgotten. Condolences to his family and friends. Om Shanti,” the PM wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
The chopper crash sent shock waves through the Indian military establishment, has been dubbed a devastating setback for the ongoing military reforms and raised questions about succession in the armed forces.
