A martyr's bust that's memory than lookalike

A bust of Maj Sandeep Unnikrishnan, the NSG commando, who died fighting the 26/11 terrorists in Mumbai, was unveiled in the City on Monday, but it hardly resembled the martyr.

A charitable trust and local residents who took the initiative to install the bust at Ramamurthy Nagar signal by a charitable trust and residents, received much appreciation from the martyred major’s parents, who, however, pointed that the bust hardly bore resemblance to their late son.

The event was sponsored by a local trust along with the owner of a vernacular daily as a goodwill gesture to honour the hero.

K Unnikrishnan, Sandeep’s father, unveiled the statue in the presence of MLA Nandish Reddy, former DG and IG of Police Shankar Bidari, Dhanalakshmi Unnikrishnan, mother of Sandeep, Akhilesh, NSG commando who fought by the side of Sandeep and several ex-servicemen.

Unnikrishnan highlighted how one man could do so much and how proud he was to have had a son like Sandeep.

“The gathering might be small but it is much bigger than it seemed and I am very happy to unveil the statue,” he said. Although grateful for the gesture, he did not fail to point out the fact that the statue did not exactly look like his son much to the organiser’s discomfort.

Nandish Reddy proposed that the Ramamurthy Nagar signal be renamed after the martyr. Sandeep was killed while storming the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai which was taken over by terrorists on November 26, 2008. He was honoured with the Ashoka Chakra for his sacrifice.