A captain who led his team from the front

PUNE, SEPT 14: Tragedy continues to strike the Chavan family. Around this time last year, Captain Nitin Chavan was in Pune to complete th...

PUNE, SEPT 14: Tragedy continues to strike the Chavan family. Around this time last year, Captain Nitin Chavan was in Pune to complete the last rites of his mother, Sunanda. She had gone to Mahad to offer thanksgiving prayers when her son was commissioned as an officer. She lost her life in a road accident near Bhor Ghat before she could offer her prayers.

Even before the wounds could heal, yet another tragedy has hit the Chavan family. Captain Nitin Chavan lost his life on Monday while flushing out Pakistan-sponsored militants in the Rajouri sector in Jammu and Kashmir. Captain Chavan was leading a patrol party when he observed a group of about five militants near Majhiari schooli Surankot tehsil, Rajouri sector.

Immediately, Captain Chavan divided his party into two groups and chased the militants. Around 1.45 pm, contact was established with the militants in a maize field and fierce fighting ensued for over an hour. Exhibiting raw courage, Captain Chavan and Lance Naik Balwinder, his radio operator closed in onto the maize field from where the fire was coming. He was about to pounce on the militants when the both of them fired at a close range resulting in multiple gun shot wounds to both the brave soldiers who died. The area was soon cordoned by the reinforced troops and operations are still continuing. Chavan is survived by his father Prakash Chavan and sister Smita. His mortal remains will arrive in Pune on Wednesday evening by the Delhi-Pune flight. The last rites will beperformed at BEG Sapras on Thursday.

Incidentally, Chavan had just completed an assignment in the Poonch sector a month ago. He spent a month with his family at Tingrenagar at their new bungalow, Sunanda Niwas, when he was called up to take on an assignment in Rajouri sector fifteen days ago. On Sunday afternoon, he telephoned home to convey that all was well. A telegram arrived this morning informing the family that Nitin had died in action while fighting militants in the Rajouri sector. Nitin Chavan 23 always nursed an ambition to become an officer in the Indian Army. His father Prakash Chavan retired as a Havildar from the Bombay Engineer Group in 1988. His uncle Sambhaji Chavan is with the paramilitary forces. A brilliant student, Chavan completed his schooling at St Joseph8217;s School in Khadki and went onto study in S P College when he was selected for the NDA in 1994.