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Telangana town pays glowing tributes to Galwan hero, 10-ft bronze statue unveiled
KTR said he was privileged to unveil the statue of Col Babu who was awarded Maha Vir Chakra posthumously.
People at Telangana’s Suryapet town on Tuesday paid glowing tributes to the son of the soil, late Colonel Bikumalla Santosh Babu, the commander of 16 Bihar Regiment, who was killed in the clash with Chinese troops at Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh on June 15, 2020.
Telangana municipal administration and information technology minister KT Rama Rao unveiled the statue of late Col Babu at the municipal park near the Court Centre junction in the town, the native place of the Galwan hero, amidst slogans of “Jai Jawan, Santosh Babu Amar Rahe (long live Santosh Babu)” raised by hundreds of people who gathered at the park.
Speaking on the occasion, KTR said he was privileged to unveil the statue of Col Babu who was awarded Maha Vir Chakra posthumously. “Col Babu would remain in the history of the country forever for his supreme sacrifice,” he said.
“What our government had done for the family was too small compared to the sacrifices he made for the country,” KTR said.
KTR, chief minster K Chandrasekhar Rao’s son, later garlanded the 10-feet high bronze statue of Col Babu, which was built at a cost of ₹40 lakh. The junction where the statue was installed has been named Col Santhosh Babu Chowrastha.
The district authorities restricted the gathering of the crowds at the spot in view of Covid-19 restrictions. Yet, hundreds of people assembled there duly following social distancing norms to pay their tributes.
Col Babu’s father Upender and mother Manjula, wife Santoshi and children, Abhigna and Anirudh, were also present on the occasion, apart from state energy minister G Jagadish Reddy who represents Suryapet constituency, besides a host of political leaders and officials.
Santoshi, who broke down as the minister unveiled her husband’s statue, said her husband’s sacrifice for the nation had inspired many youths to take to armed forces. “Our family was shattered with his death and we are yet to recover from it,” she said.
She also expressed gratitude to the government for installing the statue of her husband in Suryapet town. “I am grateful to chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao who took care of my family. Apart from providing compensation of ₹5 crore, he also gave me a Group-I officer post, besides a house site. I will never forget the respect showered by the government,” she said.
