Tearful Adieu To Colonel Santhosh Babu In Suryapet

Telangana bid a tearful adieu to Colonol Santhosh Babu, a soldier from Suryapet district of Telangana, who was martyred in the conflict with Chinese troops in Galwan of Ladakh on Monday night.

The final rites were performed at his Kesaram farm field with full military and state honours, with the Suryapet people turning up in huge numbers to pay tributes.

The 16 Bihar Regiment, which Santhosh Babu belonged to, gave a gun salute by firing three times into the air, and performed the customary final rites.

Energy Minister Jagadish Reddy, Legislative Council Chairman Gutha Sukhender Reddy, MPs N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Bandi Sanjay and D Arvind, former union minister Pallam Raju, MLC Narsi Reddy, the Collector and SP of the district, and others attended the funeral.

Only 50 members of the family were allowed to attend the funeral due to the coronavirus rules, but a large number of youth attended the procession with slogans "Bharath Matha Ki Jai" and "Santhosh Babu Amar Hai".

Army personnel gave a military uniform belonging to Santhosh Babu to his wife.

Businesses and shops in Suryapet town were closed today.

On Wednesday, Santhosh Babu's body was shifted in a special aircraft to the Hakimpet airport where Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Municipal Minister K T Rama Rao and others paid tributes to him.

Santhosh Babu leaves behind wife Santhoshi, and two children - 14-year-old daughter Abhigna and 7-year-old son Anirudh. Babu's father Upender is reportedly a retired bank manager, and his father-in-law a retired teacher.