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The jawans who had captured me were trying to manhandle me and maybe trying to kill me because, for them, I was just an enemy pilot who had fired on their locations from the air... Fortunately, the officer who came was very mature. He realised the situation that I am now a captive and now I need not
298:. This interrogation was called "very civil" by Tufail, who said it was a casual talk between two officers rather than between a captor and a POW. Tufail said his mandate was to inquire the circumstances of the ejection and the mission.
256:
After ejecting, Nachiketa evaded immediate capture but after two to three hours, a
Pakistani army patrol captured him. Nachiketa continued to fire his service pistol until he ran out of bullets. He was taken to a prison in
314:
on the
Amritsar-to-Lahore road on 3 June 1999. Nachiketa described his experiences in captivity as "difficult to be described in words" and said he felt "death would have been a better solution".
249:
Sector on 26 May 1999. Armed with 80mm rockets and the aircraft's 30mm cannon, Nachiketa attacked an enemy position. During the operation, the aircraft took a hit from a
Pakistan Army
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be handled that way. So he was able to control them, which was a big effort because they were very aggressive at that stage.
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where he was beaten up by
Pakistani soldiers until a senior officer intervened. Speaking to NDTV in 2016, Nachiketa said:
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341:. He suffers from long-term back pain due to an injury sustained during the parachute landing in the war.
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Nachiketa was born on 31 May 1973 to Sri. K. R. K. Sastry and Smt. K. Laxmi. He studied at
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in
Pakistan and was subsequently repatriated over the Indian border check post at
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Stamford, Lincs., U.K.: Air Forces
Monthly, July 1999, Number 136, pages 74–75.
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Indian Air Force pilot captured by
Pakistani forces during the 1999 Kargil War
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279:(POW) for eight days. He was first taken to an undisclosed location in the
193:, his aircraft experienced an engine flameout. Nachiketa ejected from his
623:"This is what Pakistan did last time one of our pilots was in its custody"
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367:
159:
258:
230:
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148:
114:
663:"Amazed we had so much in common: Pak officer on Indian Kargil pilot"
520:"The story of Kargil War hero Flight Lieutenant Kambampati Nachiketa"
693:"Kargil's first Indian PoW back in sky, to fly mid-air refuellers"
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L and was held in
Pakistani custody. He is presently a captain at
280:
246:
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198:
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214:
75:
489:"Service Record of Flt. Lt. Kambampati Nachiketa 22930 F(P)"
185:. While carrying out an airstrike on Pakistani positions in
338:
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He was interrogated by the
Director of Operations of the
283:. After a two-hour wait, he was taken by helicopter to
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547:. Sam's Indian Air Force Down Under. Archived from
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716:
686:
684:
655:
563:
245:(Wolfpack) who took part in a strike in the
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681:
593:"No fear of flying for this Kargil hero"
308:International Committee of the Red Cross
717:
463:50th Anniversary of Independence Medal
691:Press Trust of India (15 July 2008).
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348:as a group captain, Nachiketa joined
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253:, and Nachiketa was forced to eject.
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637:"Flt Lt Nachiketa arrives in India"
13:
352:as an airline pilot, serving as a
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781:
765:Recipients of the Vayu Sena Medal
760:Prisoners of war held by Pakistan
306:Nachiketa was handed over to the
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181:is a retired officer of the
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458:High Altitude Service Medal
10:
786:
545:"Flt. Lt. K. Nachiketa VM"
468:9 Years Long Service Medal
344:After retirement from the
322:Nachiketa was promoted to
770:Kendriya Vidyalaya alumni
735:Indian Air Force officers
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109:
101:
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745:People of the Kargil War
740:Indian military aviators
333:transport aircraft with
219:National Defence Academy
175:Kambampati Nachiketa Rao
755:Indian prisoners of war
268:
446:Special Service Medal
441:Operation Vijay Medal
275:Nachiketa remained a
263:
102:Years of service
573:. bharat-rakshak.com
491:. bharat-rakshak.com
436:Operation Vijay Star
32:Kambampati Nachiketa
625:. 27 February 2019.
603:on 21 February 2008
335:No. 78 Squadron IAF
750:Shot-down aviators
551:on 26 October 2009
524:Newsd www.newsd.in
331:mid-air refuelling
292:Pakistan Air Force
271:Life as a prisoner
243:No. 9 Squadron IAF
233:, Nachiketa was a
211:Kendriya Vidyalaya
189:sector during the
571:"Engine Flameout"
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453:Sainya Seva Medal
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318:Subsequent career
235:flight lieutenant
217:, and joined the
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599:. Archived from
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294:, Group Captain
183:Indian Air Force
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96:Indian Air Force
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350:Indigo Airlines
337:, stationed at
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277:prisoner of war
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221:, Khadakwasla.
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199:Indigo Airlines
139:No. 78 Squadron
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134:No. 48 Squadron
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51:
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30:
29:
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12:
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698:Indian Express
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669:. 13 June 2009
667:Indian Express
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628:
614:
597:Times of India
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502:
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431:Vayusena Medal
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385:
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358:Airbus A320neo
328:Ilyushin Il-78
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239:Mikoyan MiG-27
226:
223:
206:
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167:
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164:Vayusena Medal
156:
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129:No. 9 Squadron
126:
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730:Living people
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643:. 4 June 1999
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324:group captain
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296:Kaiser Tufail
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58:(age 51)
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27:Group Captain
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702:. Retrieved
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671:. Retrieved
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657:
645:. Retrieved
640:
631:
617:
605:. Retrieved
601:the original
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587:
575:. Retrieved
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553:. Retrieved
549:the original
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527:. Retrieved
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493:. Retrieved
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343:
321:
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302:Repatriation
289:
274:
264:
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228:
208:
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145:Battles/wars
132:
18:
725:1973 births
641:Rediff News
577:16 November
529:28 February
356:flying the
241:pilot from
229:During the
105:1990 – 2017
56:31 May 1973
38:Nickname(s)
719:Categories
495:20 October
476:References
259:Rawalpindi
231:Kargil War
225:Kargil War
205:Early life
191:Kargil War
149:Kargil War
64:Allegiance
52:1973-05-31
704:7 January
647:7 January
607:16 August
555:19 August
326:and flew
82:Service/
354:captain
281:Batalik
251:MANPADS
247:Batalik
187:Batalik
673:12 May
312:Attari
285:Skardu
237:and a
195:MiG-27
155:Awards
93:
84:branch
73:
25:Retd.
215:Delhi
76:India
41:Nachi
706:2012
675:2012
649:2012
609:2006
579:2009
557:2006
531:2019
497:2006
339:Agra
125:Unit
110:Rank
46:Born
346:IAF
213:in
721::
695:.
683:^
665:.
639:.
595:.
522:.
360:.
287:.
201:.
179:VM
177:,
54:)
708:.
677:.
651:.
611:.
581:.
559:.
533:.
499:.
50:(
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