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Journalism of Courage
The Pune-based family of the late Squadron Leader Shantanu Basu, an Indian Air Force helicopter pilot who was posthumously awarded the Shaurya Chakra in 2008, paid tribute to him during a solemn ‘Next of Kin’ ceremony at the National War Memorial in New Delhi on Tuesday. Sqn Ldr Basu had laid down his life in the line of duty during an air logistic support sortie on Siachen Glacier in April 2007.
The ‘Next of Kin’ ceremony is where a family member of a soldier who died in the line of duty visits the National War Memorial and lays a wreath at the Amar Chakra, which is the innermost structure in a set of concentric circles that comprise the war memorial.
“In a poignant moment at the National War Memorial, Rupa Basu along with her daughter Koyna Basu stood with quiet pride and deep emotion as she paid tribute to her husband, the late Squadron Leader Shantanu Basu who was posthumously awarded the Shaurya Chakra for his supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. As the sun set over the memorial, the Basu family stood in silent reverence, honouring the legacy of a warrior whose courage continues to inspire generations,” said a press statement from the Defence PRO, Pune. Rupa Basu and her daughter are currently based in Pune, the Defence PRO said.
Squadron Leader Shantanu Basu hailed from Uttarakhand an was posted at Air Force Station in Leh with the Cheetah Helicopter Squadron.
A Ministry of Defence release from 2008 after Sqn Ldr Basu was awarded the medal read, “On April 11, 2007, Sqn Ldr Basu was detailed for an air logistics support sortie to Amar helipad located on the Siachen Glacier, as the leader in a two aircraft formation. Amar post has the highest helipad in the world with density altitude exceeding twenty thousand feet and is located on the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL). The sortie was uneventful till final approach. On short finals, an overshoot had to be initiated as tail winds were encountered. The helicopter experienced a sudden loss of power and height after crossing the helipad. Sqn Ldr Basu maintained his cool in this unusual emergency and handled the situation in a competent manner.”
The MoD release further read, “He asked his co-pilot to keep a close check on the engine parameters and initially tried to recover the aircraft by reducing the power demand smoothly. The engine jet pipe temperature (JPT) also shot up. Unfortunately, the JPT failed to respond to the emergency actions by the pilot and the aircraft continued to lose height. He therefore took the highly courageous decision of attempting to force land across the AGPL.
However, due to the absence of a suitable force landing field in the harsh, snow bound and sloping terrain, the helicopter crashed, giving no chance of survival to the crew. The aircraft crashed about 300 meters ahead of Amar Helipad, in direct line of sight of the Pakistani post. Sqn Ldr Basu, a true air warrior, made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the country.”
