Jagadeesan B

Biography

Naik Jagadeesan B served with the 18 Engineering Regiment of the Corps of Engineers, one of the oldest arms of the Indian Army, whose combat engineers specialise in building bridges, tracks and helipads to give the army mobility across difficult terrain. His unit was well equipped and experienced in bridge and track construction. In 2005, his regiment was based at Chandi Mandir in Punjab. In June 2005, the Army was tasked to rebuild four bridges at Kharo, Khab, Leo and Akpa in Himachal Pradesh that had been washed away in the Parechu lake floods, cutting off the lifeline routes of the Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti districts. In September 2005, Naik Jagadeesan's team was assigned to rebuild the bridge at Kharo on National Highway 22, the Hindustan-Tibet Road. On 8 September 2005, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Amardeep Singh, Jagadeesan and about forty other soldiers began the operation. After the first phase and launch, they were fixing wooden slabs onto the iron beams of the 80-tonne, 60-metre bridge when it suddenly collapsed from the middle, likely due to a technical failure. All but four of the soldiers fell into the Sutlej river. Naik Jagadeesan, a brave and dedicated soldier, laid down his life while performing his duty.