Surjan Singh Bhandari was a commando of the elite

National Security Guards The National Security Guard (NSG) is a central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is the primary counter-terrorism force of the Government of India. It was founded on 16 October 1984, following Operation Blue ...

of the Indian

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

. Bhandari hailed from Gochar, North

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n state of

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

. Bhandari was critically wounded during the operation to flush out the terrorists from the Akshardham temple complex on September 24, 2002. The terrorists had stuck the Akshardham complex and killed 29 civilians before the NSG team managed to flush them out. Bhandari was injured by a bullet that hit his head during the operation. Bhandari was comatose for 600 days till his death on May 19, 2004. He had the "Tiranga" (Tricolor), the

Indian national flag The national flag of India, Colloquialism, colloquially called Tiraṅgā (the tricolour), is a horizontal rectangular tricolour flag, the colours being of India Saffron (color)#Political & religious uses, saffron, white and Variations of gree ...

, by his side when he died. He was awarded the

Kirti Chakra The Kirti Chakra () is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, including posthumous awards. It is the ...

, India's second highest gallantry award by the

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Abdul Kalam Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam ( ; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian Aerospace engineering, aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the president of India from 2002 to 2007. Born and raised in a Muslim family in Ramesw ...

. The deceased commando's two brothers are also in the armed forces.

References

External links

Akshardham: Injured NSG commando dead
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhandari, Surjan Singh 2004 deaths 20th-century births Indian military personnel killed in action Recipients of the Kirti Chakra Terrorism victims in India