Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad died shortly before noon on Thursday, plunging the nation into grief. He died a national hero because he had stood tall guarding our frontier in Siachen, the world’s highest battlefield, and fought hard against all odds to cheat death — as a brave soldier should.
It was a miracle that he was discovered alive buried under 35 feet of snow for six days while nine of his comrades perished after being hit by a moving wall of ice at the forbidding Sonam Post. This gave us some hope that the brave soldier might pull through, but that was not to be.
Though life ebbed out of the 33-year-old warrior from Hubbali in Karnataka after four days of grim fight, his example will give many the reason to live and not flinch from waging the grimmest battle in the most threatening circumstances.
There is no doubt that Lance Naik Koppad’s was a battlefield death, though it was not an enemy bullet that felled him. He deserves a posthumous battlefield honour. His family must be provided the support it deserves.
We should also spare a thought for the 150-odd comrades of Koppad who didn’t give up the search many days after the avalanche of ice hit Sonam Post, and at last found him alive. They scouted 24x7 under the open sky on icy fields and exposed themselves to the danger of falling into deep crevasses and dying of hypothermia. Remuneration for postings to such inhospitable terrain needs a revision.
