Clockwise from left, Colonel Santosh Babu, Sepoy Ojha and Havildar Palani, who were martyred during a clash with Chinese troops in Ladkah

Havildar Palani hailed from Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram. He was serving with the army’s 81 Field Artillery regiment and was attached with 16 Bihar, which was being commanded by Babu

NEW DELHI: A gunner, Havildar K Palani, is believed to have been found reliable and trusted for his field acumen by Colonel B Santosh Babu, making him part of the latter’s troop party to check whether Chinese troops had disengaged from Eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley. Palani was among the first one who had confronted the Chinese troops present at Patrolling Point 14 in Galwan Valley and removed their tents. He had died fighting the Chinese troops alongside Babu, after being attacked by them.

Palani hailed from Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram. He was serving with the army’s 81 Field Artillery regiment and was attached with 16 Bihar, which was being commanded by Babu. The army attaches artillery troops to infantry battalions deployed along the Line of Control with Pakistan and Line of Actual Control with China for surveillance tasks and raining artillery fire on enemy positions. “Colonel Babu trusted his field acumen and was with him whenever he went out of the unit. Palani was a known daredevil and Colonel Babu probably believed in his guts,” an officer said on the condition of anonymity.

On June 15, Babu with a small group of soldiers, including Palani, had gone to PP 14 at Galwan Valley. They saw a few Chinese tents, which they dismantled following a confrontation with the Chinese troops there. Later, a larger group of Chinese troops, armed with iron rods, clubs and stones, came there and attacked the Indian troops. The Indian troops fought back. Twenty Indian soldiers, including the first casualties being Babu and Palani, died. Several deaths on the Chinese side also took place, but there is no official figure.

“The commanding officer and 11 soldiers of 16 BIHAR made the supreme sacrifice. Palani from 81 Field Regiment was fighting alongside Colonel Santosh Babu before making the supreme sacrifice during the clash, which saw valiant action by our troops,” an official said.

The June 15 clash involved personnel from 16 Bihar, 3 Punjab and two artillery units, the 81 Field Regiment and 3 Medium Regiment. The troops of 81 Field Regiment were part of joint patrols with 16 BIHAR.

The 81 Field Regiment, to which Palani belonged, led by their commanding officer fought ferociously and had many soldiers seriously wounded in the brutal fight, after causing heavy casualties on the Chinese, officials said. They are likely to have been part of the reinforcements rushed in after the fight broke out. “After the clashes, the regiment regrouped and deployed its guns to get ready for any escalation from the other side,” an official said.

Palani’s friends in his unit say that he will always be an “inspiration” to the 81 Field Regiment.