Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan AC

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan was born on 15 March 1977 in Kozhikode, Kerala, into a Nair family that had later settled in Bangalore. He was the only child of Shri K. Unnikrishnan, an ISRO officer, and Smt. Dhanalakshmi Unnikrishnan. From an early age, Maj Sandeep displayed a deep fascination with the Armed Forces and nurtured the dream of donning the uniform. He completed his schooling at Frank Anthony Public School, Bangalore, where he studied for fourteen years and graduated in 1995 with a Science background. A bright student and an active participant in school activities, he excelled in sports, was part of the school choir, and enjoyed watching movies. His teachers and friends fondly remembered him for his discipline, leadership, and cheerful personality. In 1995, he joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune as part of the 94th Course, where his peers described him as selfless, generous, calm, and composed. After successfully completing his NDA training, he joined the 104th Indian Military Academy (IMA) Course at Dehradun and was commissioned into the 7th Battalion of the Bihar Regiment (Infantry) on 12 July 1999, at the age of 22.

Soon after commissioning, he participated in Operation Vijay (Kargil War) in July 1999, where he served at forward posts under intense enemy artillery and small arms fire. On the night of 31 December 1999, he led a team of six soldiers in a daring mission and successfully established a post barely 200 meters from the enemy position, despite facing heavy opposition. This early display of courage and leadership marked him as an exceptional young officer. Major Sandeep’s professional excellence continued throughout his career. He was promoted to Captain on 12 June 2003 and to Major on 13 June 2005. During his service, he attended several prestigious military courses, including the Ghatak Course at the Commando Wing, Infantry School, Belgaum — one of the toughest courses in the Indian Army — where he topped his batch and earned the coveted Instructor Grading and a commendation. He also trained at the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) in Gulmarg, mastering mountain warfare, counter-insurgency, and survival skills. Over the years, Major Sandeep served in various challenging terrains, including Siachen, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, and Rajasthan, before being selected to join the National Security Guard (NSG) in January 2007. Upon completing his NSG training, he was appointed as the Training Officer of the 51 Special Action Group (51 SAG) — an elite counter-terrorism unit.

Operation Black Tornado: Nov 2008

During November 2008, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan was serving with the 51 Special Action Group (51 SAG) of the National Security Guard (NSG), an elite counter-terrorism unit trained and equipped to handle high-risk operations. On the night of 26 November 2008, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks shook South Mumbai, targeting several iconic landmarks. Among these, the 100-year-old Taj Mahal Palace Hotel was one of the sites where hostages were being held. Maj Unnikrishnan, serving as the team commander of 51 SAG, was deployed for the critical mission to rescue the hostages from the hotel. Leading a group of ten commandos, he entered the hotel and ascended to the sixth floor using the staircase. As the team began descending, intelligence suggested that the terrorists were positioned on the third floor. Upon reaching the floor, the team discovered a locked room where several women were being held hostage. Demonstrating decisive leadership, Maj Unnikrishnan led his team in breaching the door. As soon as the entry was made, the terrorists opened fire. Commando Sunil Yadav, a colleague of Maj Unnikrishnan, was hit during the initial exchange of gunfire. Without hesitation, Maj Unnikrishnan engaged the perpetrators, returning fire to neutralize the immediate threat, while simultaneously arranging for Yadav’s evacuation to safety.

After securing the immediate area, Maj Unnikrishnan pursued the terrorists who attempted to flee to another floor of the hotel. In the ensuing encounter, he was shot in the back, a wound that proved fatal. According to NSG officials, his last words were, “Do not come up, I will handle them.” His extraordinary courage and leadership inspired his team to press on with the operation, ultimately neutralizing all the terrorists and successfully completing the mission. Maj Sandeep Unnikrishnan, at the age of 31, displayed unparalleled valor and selflessness, leading from the front and laying down his life in the highest traditions of the Indian Army. In recognition of his supreme courage, unyielding fighting spirit, and supreme sacrifice, he was posthumously awarded the nation’s highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashok Chakra.

 Maj Sandeep Unnikrishnan is survived by his father Shri K. Unnikrishnan and mother Smt Dhanalakshmi Unnikrishnan.ic

The citation of "Ashok Chakra" awarded to Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan reads:-

On 26th November, 2008, when the terrorist attack in Mumbai took place, Maj Sandeep Unnikrishnan along with his team led the operation to flush out terrorists from Hotel Taj Mahal, Mumbai in which he rescued 14 hostages, from the sixth and fifth floor and escorted them to the ground floor.

While moving through the central staircase his team came under intense fire from the first floor, in which one of his team members got grievously injured. Showing utter disregard to personal safety, Maj Sandeep Unnikrishnan pinned down the terrorists with accurate fire and rescued the injured commando to safety. In the ensuing firefight, he got injured on his right arm. Seeing the terrorists trying to escape from the room under cover of darkness, the officer despite his injuries immediately rushed towards the entrance, and brought down effective fire, thus blocking the escape routes and injuring one of them. In this exchange of fire, he was again hit by a volley of bullets and subsequently succumbed to his injuries. This spontaneous action of the officer forced the terrorists to take refuge in Wasabi Restaurant, thus giving the initial impetus to the remaining Task Force to successfully eliminate terrorists at Wasabi Restaurant.

Maj Sandeep Unnikrishnan displayed the most conspicuous bravery besides camaraderie and leadership of the highest order and made the supreme sacrifice for the nation.

• A feature film, ‘Major’ inspired by the life of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan has been made which was released in 2022. Produced by Shri Mahesh Babu and Directed by Shri Sashi Kiran Tikka, the film ‘Major’ chronicles the life of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and the Telugu actor Adivi Sesh plays the the role of the gallant officer.
• A housing society of Army Welfare Housing Organization (AWHO) in Bangalore has been named as "Sandeep Vihar" in his honour.
• A 4.5 km road in north Bangalore has been named after him in his honour.
• A bust of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan has been erected at the entrance of Indian Education Society at Jogeshwari- Vikhroli Link road in Mumbai to acknowledge his sacrifice and inspire young students.