Subedar K Thangapandi

Subedar K Thangapandi hailed from Kanchipuram District in Tamil Nadu. He was very passionate about serving in the Armed Forces since his younger days and eventually, got selected and joined the Indian Army in 2004. He was recruited into the corps of EME, the arm having varying responsibilities related to the design, development, trial, inspection, and refit of weapon systems and equipment of the Indian Army. By the year 2024, he had served for nearly 20 years and had been promoted to the rank of Subedar. By then he had served in many operational areas and had earned the reputation of a dependable Junior Commissioned Officer.

Operational Mission (Sikkim): 05 Sep 2024

During Sep 2024, Sub K Thangapandi's unit EME battalion, was deployed in Binagudi in West Bengal. The unit provided its expertise in the repair and maintenance of various equipment and weapons systems to several units under its controlling Command HQs. The unit personnel often had to move to different locations to undertake such tasks to maintain the operational worthiness of the Army units in its AOR( Area of Responsibility). The AOR of the unit spanned over remote rugged mountainous terrain with extreme weather conditions, especially in the winter season. The mountainous roads in the AOR of the unit were narrow and had steep gradients posing serious challenges to the quick movement of troops. On 5th Sept 2024, Sub K Thangapandi was assigned an operational task along with a team of soldiers which necessitated a move to a location in Sikkim by road. As planned Sub K Thangapandi along with his comrades set off from Pedong, a small town in the Kalimpong district on the morning of 05 Sep 2024. Their destination was Zuluk, a picturesque village along the Silk Route in Sikkim. 

As the vehicle carrying Sub K Thangapandi and 3 other soldiers was on its way, the weather took a turn for the worse. A sudden downpour made the roads slick and treacherous. The driver, Sep Pradeep Patel, a seasoned soldier fought to maintain control of the vehicle, but the relentless rain and the steep incline proved too much. With a sickening lurch, the vehicle veered off the road and plummeted down a sheer cliff. It fell approximately 700 to 800 feet down the gorge near Dalopchand Dara along the Rhenock Rongli state route, also known as the ''Silk Route.  As the vehicle fell into a deep gorge, it got mangled beyond recognition due to the severe impact. As a result, all four soldiers got severely injured. The Army quickly launched the rescue operation and the injured soldiers were transferred to a field hospital. However, they soon succumbed to their injuries and were martyred. Besides Sub K Thangapandi, the other three martyred soldiers included  Naik Gursev Singh, Sep Pradeep Patel and Craftsman W Peter. Sub K Thangapandi was a committed soldier and professionally competent Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), who laid down his life at the age of 41 years in the line of his duty.

Sub K Thangapandi is survived by wife Smt Valarmathi and two sons.