New Delhi: Nyima Tenzin, a Tibetan-Indian hero of the elite covert paramilitary unit Special Frontier Force (SFF) who was killed on the night of 29-30 August in eastern Ladakh, was given a final farewell with a 21-gun salute Monday.
The 51-year-old soldier died after he stepped on to a 1962 vintage anti-personnel mine near the southern bank of the Pangong lake, Army sources had said.
The incident occurred around the time when the Indian Army launched a major operation and outflanked the Chinese in capturing dominating features near the southern bank of Pangong Tso in the Chushul sector.
On Monday, the Tibetan community in Ladakh came together to pay tribute to the soldier who belonged to 7 Vikas battalion of the SFF, which is also known as Establishment 22.
Senior BJP leader Ram Madhav attended the funeral and placed a wreath in tribute to Tenzin.
In a tweet, Madhav said, “Attended the funeral of SFF Coy Ldr Nyima Tenzin, a Tibetan who laid down his life protecting our borders in Ladakh, and laid a wreath as a tribute.” However, he later deleted his tweet that had pictures of him at the site.
According to videos from the site, Tenzin’s body was driven to his house in the Sonamling Tibetan Refugee settlement in Leh, escorted by an SFF truck. It was wrapped in both Indian tricolour and the Tibetan flag.
The Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) belongs to the Tibetan refugee community that has settled in India due to Chinese atrocities.
At the funeral, which was attended by many including the locals, shouts of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai‘ reverberated in the air.
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The SFF
Nyima Tenzin was a member of the SFF, an Indian security unit that is primarily drawn from the thousands of Tibetan refugees who now call India home. It was formed in the immediate aftermath of the 1962 war with China, which resulted in a defeat for India.
Comprising both men and women, the SFF has played an important role in multiple military operations — from the 1971 India-Pakistan war to the 1999 Kargil battle — but has largely functioned under the shadows.
The unit, which has seven battalions, comes under the direct purview of the Cabinet Secretariat, and is also operationally involved with the Army. The force is headed by a Major General rank Army officer, who serves as Inspector General of the SFF.
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