Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today paid his tributes to Colonel Santosh Mahadik who was martyred in an encounter in Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir today.
In a message, he said, "We are proud of our young officers like him who lead from the front and did not hesitate to sacrifice their lives to protect the nation."
The Commanding Officer of 41 Rashtriya Rifles Colonel Santosh, who was leading a search party, was critically injured when militants hiding in a dense forest area of Haji Naka opened fire.
Santosh, who was from the elite regiment of Para Commandos, was evacuated to a hospital but he succumbed to injuries.
