41 Rashtriya Rifles

“This Diwali, we thought of his comrades-in-arms, who suffer harsh climes and the enemy from across the border, as well as some within."

Colonel Santosh Mahadik, a member of the Indian Army's elite Para Commando force, lost his life in an aggressive gun battle against militants. The 37-year-old Colonel had conducted many successful operations against militants in both Jammu and Kashmir and Norteast India for more than a decade.