Young Lieutenant Shashank Tiwari dies saving fellow soldier in Sikkim
Army officials said that the officer was leading a Route Opening Patrol towards a Tactical Operating Base (TOB) in Sikkim — a key post being prepared for future deployment.
'Around 11:00 a.m., Agniveer Stephan Subba — a member of the patrol — lost footing while crossing a log bridge and was swept away by the powerful mountain stream. Lieutenant Tiwari instinctively leapt into the treacherous waters to save the Agniveer, without a moment's hesitation,' one official said. Another soldier, Naik Pukar Katel, also followed immediately in support. Together, they managed to rescue the drowning Agniveer.
However, Lieutenant Tiwari was tragically swept away by the forceful current. Despite desperate efforts by his patrol, his body was recovered 800 metres downstream by 11:30 a.m., the official stated, adding that the young officer's action is a shining example of the Army's core values and the unbreakable bond between officers and men, which transcends rank and is nurtured in both war and peace.
Lieutenant Tiwari is survived by his parents and a sister.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Army chopper's emergency landing delights Tinsukia locals
1 2 3 4 5 6 Dibrugarh: An Indian Army Cheetah helicopter carrying four personnel made an emergency landing at a local playground in Tinsukia district on Tuesday morning after developing a technical malfunction during a routine sortie. The aircraft, with two pilots and two Army officials aboard, was en route from the Dinjan-based military station in Dibrugarh to Anini in Arunachal Pradesh when it encountered a sudden technical snag at around 9:05am. The pilots safely landed the helicopter at the Dibrupariya Sports Association's playground in Kathalguri. The unexpected touchdown turned an ordinary morning into a community spectacle. As word spread, scores of students and villagers gathered to witness the rare sight of a military helicopter parked in their neighbourhood. What could have been a tense moment quickly transformed into a cheerful photo opportunity, with locals lining up to take selfies and group pictures against the unusual backdrop. Social media was soon flooded with images, turning the incident into a viral moment. "We were just heading out when we heard the helicopter approaching. At first, we were worried something serious had happened, but the crew remained calm and professional. They assured us it was a minor technical issue and would be resolved soon. They were very kind and even posed for pictures with the children," said Annadeep Moran, a local resident who witnessed the landing. After nearly 50 minutes of on-site repairs, the issue was resolved, and the helicopter resumed its journey without further incident. While the Army has not released an official statement regarding the malfunction, sources said it was a minor glitch that was promptly fixed. The Cheetah helicopter, a light utility aircraft commonly used by the Indian Armed Forces, has long been a reliable workhorse in the northeastern region, often operating in difficult terrain and unpredictable weather conditions. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Time of India
‘Goddess has to cross': Kishtwar cloudburst toll rises to 62; grieving Chasoti village tones down ritual passage of Chandi Mata, Machail Yatra remains suspended
The Army insists the bridge is first a lifeline. 'It is for relief, evacuation, survival,' a defence personnel said. CHASOTI(KISHTWAR): The sacred mace of Chandi Mata is preparing to cross a Bailey bridge laid by the Army on Sunday afternoon after a cloudburst on August 14 left at least 62 people dead in Kishtwar's Chasoti, with rescue workers warning the toll may climb to 63 after a severed leg was recovered that could belong to a woman's body found two days earlier. The Machail Mata yatra has been suspended indefinitely, but the mace will still move ahead, carried by a few attendants and a skeletal line of mules. In a valley still counting its dead, the crossing has become more than ritual — it is faith meeting disaster. The Army's intervention made the passage possible, but the scene bears little resemblance to the carnival atmosphere that usually surrounds the yatra. The once sprawling caravan of 500 to 600 devotees, with dozens of mules hauling rations and bedding, has dwindled to a skeleton line of barely 20 animals. Only a handful of attendants will walk with the mace, their chants subdued against the roar of the river. For centuries the mace — chhadi — has threaded the same path through Kishtwar's high valleys, carried to the shrine at 9,500 feet in processions of song, drum and caravans of pilgrims. The journey sustained villages along the route, swelling them into bazaars of kitchens and stalls. This year, that rhythm has been silenced. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Highest Earning College Majors—2025 Edition Best Paying Degrees | Search Ads Learn More Undo At Chasoti, floodwaters collapsed suspension bridges, buried shops and swept away tea stalls that once served pilgrims. In their place, the Army hammered steel girders into a Bailey bridge within 72 hours. It now spans a torrent where bodies are still being pulled out from under boulders. A dozen earthmovers squat at its mouth, pushing aside boulders and timber strewn by the flood, while rescue workers scrape through the debris with spades. The mace will cross here, even as recovery teams dig just feet away. For villagers, the collision of faith and disaster is raw. 'I begged them not to take the mace this year,' said Parveen Singh, 38, a langar server whose brother's stall is missing. 'It feels like we are asking the goddess to walk across a graveyard.' The Army insists the bridge is first a lifeline. 'It is for relief, evacuation, survival,' a defence personnel said, pointing to villages in Paddar valley still cut off. For locals, however, the symbolism of the mace crossing a bridge built atop wreckage and flanked by earthmovers is harder to reconcile. Some read it as an intrusion into grief. Sunita Devi, 55, who has cooked for pilgrims at a langar for fifteen years, said she could not light her stove this season. 'Normally the air is heavy with drums and rice cooking. This time, there is nothing. Just the bridge rattling when trucks go over.' Others insist the journey is necessary. 'If the goddess does not cross, we will sink completely into grief,' said Mohammad Yousuf, 46, a schoolteacher from Atholi. 'Even in silence, her presence tells us we are not abandoned.' The tension — between stopping in mourning and continuing in faith — reflects the larger unease of Himalayan pilgrimages in a changing climate. Monsoons are harsher and landslides more frequent, yet roads and markets keep climbing higher with little preparation. 'This yatra has been interrupted before — by militancy in the 1990s, by Covid in 2020 — but climate shocks are different,' said Ritika Sharma, 29, a teacher at the Chasoti primary school. 'They are not temporary. They are showing us that the mountains themselves are changing.' Even the logistics of the mace's movement remain uncertain. TOI 's texts to senior police officers seeking clarity on security and arrangements for the crossing went unanswered. For families still living in relief camps, that silence echoes their own unanswered questions. Krishan Lal, 62, whose grocery shop is now under rubble, put it plainly: 'Every year, she came like a guest of honour. This year, she comes like a mourner, walking with us in grief.' Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- The Hindu
Search for trapped cloudburst victims enters fourth day in J&K's Kishtwar
Amid overcast conditions, the search operation to trace those missing in the cloudburst in this remote village of Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district entered the fourth day on Sunday (August 17, 2025) with rescuers hopeful of clearing a major impact spot during the day, officials said. India monsoon highlights on August 17, 2025 Army engineers, meanwhile, have started working on a bailey bridge to restore connectivity to the village and the Machail Mata shrine and further intensify the rescue efforts. Cloudburst struck Chisoti, the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple, on August 14, killing 60 persons and leaving 80 others missing, while 167 persons were rescued in an injured condition. The flash-floods triggered by the cloudburst left a trail of destruction, flattening a makeshift market, a langar (community kitchen) site for the yatra, damaging 16 houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-metre-long bridge, besides over a dozen vehicles. Giant boulders were also left scattered at various spots, especially around the worst-hit langar site and some of them hampering the search were blasted in a controlled explosion by the rescuers on Saturday (August 16) evening. The officials said the joint teams of police, Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), civil administration, and local volunteers are continuing the rescue efforts. So far, 50 bodies have been identified and handed over to their next of kin after completion of legal formalities. General Officer Commanding of the Army's counter-insurgency Delta Force Maj Gen A.P.S. Bal said Army engineers have conducted a survey of the area after a need for the bridge was felt. 'We need a 17-metre bridge which will be installed to facilitate smooth movement across the river,' the officer said, adding the structure will be completed by Sunday (August 17) evening. He said the Army responded to the disaster within 45 minutes after getting the information. 'We are here because of the people. As you know, our country's policy nowadays is the whole of nation approach. So, if there is any security issue, not just physical security, but all kinds of security has to be provided, the whole of nation approach has to be followed,' he said. He said all the security forces deployed are trying their best to help as many people as possible. 'Besides saving lives, we also tried to provide them with medicine, food, and all kinds of things that we could provide,' he said. The annual Machail Mata Yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5, remained suspended for the fourth consecutive day on Sunday. The 8.5-km trek to the 9,500-foot-high shrine starts from Chisoti, located about 90 km from Kishtwar town. The rescuers are utilising over a dozen earth-movers and other heavy equipment while the NDRF mobilised its resources, including dog squads, to speed up the rescue operation.
