Naik Saveena KA

Naik Saveena K A hailed from Kodagu district of Karnataka and was born on 10th May 1975. Nk Saveena completed his primary education from Bekkesodlur School and joined Ponnampet Junior College for 1st PUC. However, he was inclined to join the Armed Forces and consequently joined the Indian Army at the age of 17-years in the year-1993. He was recruited into 19 Madras Bn of the Madras Regiment, an infantry regiment well-known for its gallant soldiers. After completing his training in Madras Regimental Centre at Willington in Tamil Nadu, he got posted to Pathankot in Punjab where he served for three years. Later he got transfer to the trouble-torn Kashmir valley.

By the year-2000, he had been promoted to the rank of Naik and developed into a competent and committed soldier. Besides having soldierly skills, Nk Saveena was a good athlete, cross-country runner and bodybuilder who won many laurels in various sports competitions.

CI & IS Ops : 22 May 2000

During May 2000, Nk Saveena’s unit 19 Madras was deployed in Poonch Sector of the Kashmir valley. The AOR (Area of Responsibility) of the unit was affected with militant activities and thus the unit troops were involved in operations against the militants on a regular basis. Nk Saveena was part of many counter-insurgency operations by the unit and had proved his mettle a number of times. In one such counter-insurgency operations on 22nd May 2000, Nk Saveena and his team managed to capture one militant and took him into their custody. The team was ordered to move the captured militant to another location.

The area of operation was mountainous with the rugged terrain and the militant had to be taken on foot to the desired location. Nk Saveena and his comrades tied the militant with a rope and set off for their destination. Nk Saveena was holding one end of the rope while the other end was with the other soldier. As they were moving along the ridgeline with a steep downslope, the militant saw an opportunity to escape and jumped down. As the militant did so, Nk Saveena and his comrade also fell down traversing a distance of around 500 feet. As a result of this dangerous fall, Nk Saveena sustained serious head injuries and multiple fractures in his spinal cord. He was shifted to the nearby medical facility for treatment but could not recover. He later succumbed to his injuries and was martyred on 23rd May 2000. Naik Saveena was a dedicated soldier who laid down his life in the line of his duty.