Kambampati Nachiketa
Encyclopedia
Wing Commander
Kambampati Nachiketa Vayusena Medal
(Gallantry), is currently a serving officer of the Indian Air Force
. Wing Commander Nachiketa came into the limelight during the Kargil War
when on 27 May 1999, as a Flight Lieutenant
, he was captured by Pakistan
i troops in Kashmir following ejection from his MiG-27L aircraft after suffering engine flame-out while flying against infiltrator positions during the initial stages of Operation Safed Sagar
. He was held in Pakistani custody as the first India
n prisoner of war
of the conflict.
Wing Commander Nachiketa was born on 31 May 1973 to Mr K R K Sastry and Mrs Laxmi Sastry. He studied at Kendriya Vidyalaya in Delhi, and joined the Indian Air Force
after training at the National Defence Academy at Khadakvasla, near Pune.
during the Kargil Operations
. He was one of the pilots from No. 9 Squadron IAF who took part on a strike in the Batalik
Sector on 26 May 1999
. Armed with 80mm rockets, Nachiketa carried out an attack on an enemy concentration. He carried out a second attack on the target using the aircraft's 30mm cannon. Subsequently the engine flamed out.
All attempts to re-light the engine failed and Nachiketa was forced to eject.
After landing on the ground, it appeared that initially Nachiketa was able to gather his wits and evade immediate capture. However after two to three hours, a Pakistani Army Patrol caught him.
left his station and came in low to locate Nachiketa. He was fired at by a Stinger missile
and was shot down. A postmortem examination conducted by Indian military authorities claimed that Ahuja had landed safely after ejecting from his plane, but had been killed by Pakistani soldiers.
Pakistanis claimed the body was found after days of the plane being down due to the hostile terrain and was in bad condition because animals had tempered with it.
. When questioned about his treatment at the hands of Pakistan, Nachiketa said it was fine but he refused to go into any further details.
in Pakistan and subsequently was repatriated over the Indian border checkpost at Wagah, on the Lahore Amritsar Road.
Nachiketa is currently a Wing Commander
and flies Ilyushin Il-78
mid air refuelling transport aircraft with No. 78 Squadron IAF stationed at Agra
. He was transferred to transports due to the injuries he sustained during para-landing and the physical hardships during captivity.
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
Kambampati Nachiketa Vayusena Medal
Vayusena Medal
The Vayusena Medal is an Indian military decoration, usually awarded in peacetime for a job well done. However it has been granted during times of conflict for acts of gallantry in the face of enemy, though not in the same numbers as the Vir Chakra....
(Gallantry), is currently a serving officer of the Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
. Wing Commander Nachiketa came into the limelight during the Kargil War
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
when on 27 May 1999, as a Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
, he was captured by Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i troops in Kashmir following ejection from his MiG-27L aircraft after suffering engine flame-out while flying against infiltrator positions during the initial stages of Operation Safed Sagar
Operation Safed Sagar
Operation Safed Sagar was the codename assigned to the Indian Air Force's strike to support the Ground troops during Operation Vijay that was aimed to flush out Regular and Irregular troops of the Pakistani Army from vacated Indian Positions in the Kargil sector along the Line of Control...
. He was held in Pakistani custody as the first India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
of the conflict.
Wing Commander Nachiketa was born on 31 May 1973 to Mr K R K Sastry and Mrs Laxmi Sastry. He studied at Kendriya Vidyalaya in Delhi, and joined the Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
after training at the National Defence Academy at Khadakvasla, near Pune.
Kargil War
Nachiketa was a Flight LieutenantFlight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
during the Kargil Operations
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
. He was one of the pilots from No. 9 Squadron IAF who took part on a strike in the Batalik
Batalik
Batalik is a part of Indian Administered Kashmir which has been the centre of all Indo-Pakistani wars.Operation Safed Sagar was launched primarily in this region. It was one of the main regions in which Kargil war was fought....
Sector on 26 May 1999
. Armed with 80mm rockets, Nachiketa carried out an attack on an enemy concentration. He carried out a second attack on the target using the aircraft's 30mm cannon. Subsequently the engine flamed out.
All attempts to re-light the engine failed and Nachiketa was forced to eject.
After landing on the ground, it appeared that initially Nachiketa was able to gather his wits and evade immediate capture. However after two to three hours, a Pakistani Army Patrol caught him.
Shooting down of Wingman
Flying top cover to the MiG-27s were MiG-21M aircraft of No. 17 Squadron IAF. One of the escort pilots Squadron Leader Ajay AhujaSquadron Leader Ajay Ahuja
Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja was a fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force whose death under controversial circumstances in the 1999 Kargil War in Kashmir, was the cause of the most angry public conflagration between India and Pakistan at the time....
left his station and came in low to locate Nachiketa. He was fired at by a Stinger missile
FIM-92 Stinger
The FIM-92 Stinger is a personal portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile , which can be adapted to fire from ground vehicles and helicopters , developed in the United States and entered into service in 1981. Used by the militaries of the U.S...
and was shot down. A postmortem examination conducted by Indian military authorities claimed that Ahuja had landed safely after ejecting from his plane, but had been killed by Pakistani soldiers.
Pakistanis claimed the body was found after days of the plane being down due to the hostile terrain and was in bad condition because animals had tempered with it.
Life as a prisoner
Nachiketa was first taken to an undisclosed place in the Batalik Sector. After a two-hour wait, he was taken by helicopter to SkarduSkardu
Skardu , is the main town of the region Baltistan and the capital of Skardu District, one of the districts making up Pakistan's Gilgit Baltistan....
. When questioned about his treatment at the hands of Pakistan, Nachiketa said it was fine but he refused to go into any further details.
Repatriation
Nachiketa remained a prisoner for about a week before he was repatriated to India on 3 June 1999. He was handed over to the International Committee of the Red CrossInternational Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
in Pakistan and subsequently was repatriated over the Indian border checkpost at Wagah, on the Lahore Amritsar Road.
Nachiketa is currently a Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
and flies Ilyushin Il-78
Ilyushin Il-78
The Ilyushin Il-78 is a four-engined aerial refueling tanker based on the Il-76.-Design and development:...
mid air refuelling transport aircraft with No. 78 Squadron IAF stationed at Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
. He was transferred to transports due to the injuries he sustained during para-landing and the physical hardships during captivity.