Shashi Balaji

Biography

Sepoy Shashi Balaji hailed from Neelankori village in Tamil Nadu. He joined the Indian Army in 2003 and served with the Army Service Corps, gaining experience across various units and operating conditions over a career spanning more than fourteen years. By 2017 he was serving in the North East, where he was associated with the Indian Air Force for air transport and logistics operations supporting army units deployed in remote and inaccessible areas. In the forward sectors of the North East, where motorable roads do not exist, the Indian Army depends heavily on air drops carried out by the Indian Air Force as Air Maintenance operations. On 6 October 2017, Sepoy Shashi Balaji was tasked to assist in one such mission, dropping supplies to army units deployed in remote areas. The Mi-17 V5 transport helicopter detailed for the sortie took off from Khirmu helipad in Tawang district with five IAF and two Army personnel on board, carrying supplies to a forward post in the Topu Ghar area near Yangste. It was the aircraft's second air maintenance sortie of the day in that sector. The region is known for sudden and dangerous weather changes. While the helicopter was flying roughly 120 kilometres north of Tawang, very close to the dropping zone, it lost control and crashed. As it was carrying kerosene supplies, the aircraft caught fire instantly. Sepoy Shashi Balaji and all six other military personnel on board lost their lives in the crash. A dedicated and valiant soldier, he laid down his life in the service of the nation.