Basappa Patil

Biography

Subedar Basappa Patil belonged to Khanajaon village in the Belgaum district of Karnataka. He completed his schooling in his native place and joined the Indian Army on 24 July 1990. He was recruited into the 21 Madras battalion of the Madras Regiment, an infantry regiment renowned for its gallant soldiers and numerous battle honours. Over the years, Subedar Patil gained wide experience operating in various field units across differing terrains and working environments. By 2016 he had risen to the rank of Subedar and had served as a junior commissioned officer in numerous operations. During that year he was serving with his unit deployed in the Kargil sector of Jammu and Kashmir. As the unit was located near the Line of Control, its troops manned various forward posts within their area of responsibility and conducted regular patrols to monitor the gaps between the manned posts. This demanded extreme caution, for the terrain was extremely tough, marked by natural obstacles and scattered with enemy-laid mines and booby traps. On 29 July 2016, Subedar Basappa Patil was leading a patrol party that also included Sepoy Hasansab Khudavand. While traversing their planned route, the patrol came under a severe mine blast. Subedar Patil and Sepoy Khudavand both suffered grievous injuries and were evacuated for medical treatment, but their wounds proved fatal and both soldiers succumbed. Subedar Basappa Patil was a valiant soldier and a committed junior commissioned officer who laid down his life in the service of the nation.