Maj Sandeep Unnikrishnan of 51 Special Action Group led commandos into the Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai, in November 2008 and rescued 14 hostages.
Inside the Taj Mahal Hotel
On 27 November 2008, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan led the National Security Guard's commando operation to clear terrorists from the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai. The official account credits him with rescuing 14 hostages.
His team came under intense fire and one commando was grievously injured. Unnikrishnan pinned the terrorists down with accurate fire and got the wounded man to safety. He was shot in the right arm while doing it.
He kept fighting after that wound and was killed in the operation. His date of death is recorded as 28 November 2008.
Bihar Regiment, on deputation to the NSG
Unnikrishnan came from a Malayali family settled in Bengaluru, where his father, K. Unnikrishnan, worked for ISRO. He studied at The Frank Anthony Public School before joining the National Defence Academy in 1995.
He was commissioned on 12 June 1999 into the 7th Battalion of the Bihar Regiment, and was serving on deputation with 51 Special Action Group at the time of the attacks.
His mother, Dhanalakshmi Unnikrishnan, received the Ashoka Chakra from President Pratibha Patil on 26 January 2009.
Official text from the Press Information Bureau
Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan led the commando operation launched on 27th November 2008 to flush out terrorists from Hotel Taj Mahal, Mumbai in which he rescued 14 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.
Source: Press Information Bureau release. Reproduced as printed, including any errors in the original.
Cover image: Mrinalmohanan, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for this page. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bust_of_Major_Sandeep_Unnikrishnan_at_Bangalore.jpg