"He risked his life to save that of his teammate. He had almost crossed but he turned around to rescue his colleague, he was brave. That's how a defence man is trained," said a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) official after a CoBRA commando got swept away in a swollen nullah in the forests of Bastar while trying to rescue his colleague.
Suraj R, 27, a member of the CRPF's elite unit – Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) – drowned on Friday, 8 July, due to the gushing water that he and his teammates encountered while returning from an anti-Maoist search operation in Sukma, Chhattisgarh.
Suraj Showed Exemplary Courage Both Off and On Field
A team of CoBRA commandos had gone inside the forest following the intelligence input of Maoists movement in the area on Thursday.
The team crossed Ventawagu Nullah under Jagargunda police station limits to reach the target. They, however, later decided to return to base when they didn't find anything after conducting a search operation.
With a trek of almost 10-12 hours, amidst heavy rain, deep inside the forest, the CoBRA team reached the Ventawagu nullah in the morning on Friday.
However, the nullah had swelled with the overnight rains which poured down for around six hours.
Suraj Almost Crossed the Nullah, Returned To Save Colleague
Facing a swollen 30-metre wide overflowing nullah, the best swimmer of the team was sent across first with a rope tied to his waist. He crossed the nullah and tied the rope on the other side of the bank.
"Suraj was the ninth member of the team who was just about to reach the other side when he heard his teammate Chandan's cry for help. Chandan was struck mid-stream and was struggling to cross and yelled for help. Hearing this, Suraj decided to return to the middle of the nullah to aid his colleague and senior assistant commandant Chandan,"said a CRPF official.
A few other team members too jumped in and were trying to get Chandan to safety. Suraj, who was already tired from the trek and had almost swam across and then returned, lost his grip and got washed away by water.
The team was able to save Chandan but Suraj, unfortunately, could not be saved.
Chandan and other members of the team have decided to meet Suraj's parents at his home to condole them, and have pledged to stand with the family at all times.
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