Commando, who gunned down 11 ultras, dies

Like the hero of a Bollywood movie, he killed several villains but unlike the celluloid lead, who survives and lives happily ever after, the story of this hero of the Indian Army ended in tragedy.

Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami, a commando of the Special Forces in the Army, was a part of three back-to-back operations which killed 10 militants in 11 days before laying down his life in service of the nation in Kashmir.

“Lance Naik Goswami volunteered to join the elite Para Commando outfit of the Indian Army in 2002 and went on to gain the reputation of being one of the toughest soldiers of his unit, no small feat in an outfit that boasts of being one among the best in the world,” Udhampur-based Defence spokesperson said in a statement.

“He volunteered for all operational missions undertaken by his unit and was a part of numerous successful counter-terrorist operations in J&K. In the last 11 days, he was actively involved in three counter-terrorism operations in the Kashmir valley in which 10 terrorists have been eliminated and one captured alive,” he said.

A senior Army officer said Lance Naik Goswami had always willingly taken part in all missions undertaken by his unit and was a part of numerous successful counter-terror operations in the state.

The first operation, in which he participated, resulted in the elimination of three hardcore Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists of Pakistan origin in north Kashmir’s Handwara area on August 23.

He volunteered for a second back-to-back operation at Rafiabad in north Kashmir. The operation was conducted over two days on August 26 and 27. “It witnessed a fierce gunfight that led to the elimination of three more LeT terrorists. The Let terrorist, Sajjad Ahmad alias Abu Ubed Ullah, resident of Muzzafargarh, Pakistan was captured alive in this operation,” the spokesman said.