Kargil war hero Group Captain K Nachiketa Rao recalls the incident of being captured in Pakistan
Kargil Vijay Diwas, 26th July is celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas. Like every year, this time the country is celebrating the 25th Kargil Vijay Diwas. On this occasion, we know some unheard things about the Kargil war from Kargil War hero Group Captain K Nachiketa Rao (Retd)…
The engine of the fighter plane had failed- Group Captain K Nachiketa
Group Captain K Nachiketa Rao (Retd) was a fighter pilot during the Kargil war. Twenty-five years is a long time, but even today the eyes and face of that man are clear in my mind. He had stuck the barrel of his AK-47 in my mouth. I was watching his trigger finger, will he pull it or not? Group Captain K Nachiketa Rao (Retd) said that during the Kargil war his fighter aircraft engine malfunctioned due to which he had to eject from a MiG-27 aircraft. Soon after, he was captured by the Pakistani army and tortured for several days, after which he was handed over to Indian authorities.
He has revealed for the first time what was going through his mind in those terrifying moments before the plane crashed and then behind enemy lines, NDTV reported. This tale of torture, during which he was deprived of food and sleep and systematically beaten for speaking, underlines the valour behind India’s victory in the Kargil war.
The flight was filled with three fighter planes
K. Nachiketa Rao, a flight lieutenant during the Kargil war, said that he had taken off from Srinagar with three other fighter pilots that morning, which changed his life. He said that we boarded the plane from Srinagar… and our target was a place called Munthu Dhalo. There was a very big logistics center of the enemy there. We boarded the plane in a set of four planes. Me and my partner, we were firing rockets. After the rocket attack, my engine failed. The MiG 27 is a single-engine plane, and in case of engine failure, I followed the procedure to take off again, but since the (ground) altitude was very high, I got out of altitude. When I saw the hills moving towards my plane, I had no option but to land the plane. He further said that at that time, he was flying at an altitude of more than 15000 feet. He said that it was a fortunate decision because within a few seconds, as soon as I regained consciousness, I saw the plane falling on the hill. But the young fighter pilot’s problems were not over yet.
The attempt to hide behind the stones was unsuccessful
Group Captain K Nachiketa Rao (Retd) said the comfort of a fighter cockpit was gone. It is very important for a fighter pilot. There was snow all around, my body was not yet acclimatised, and I had just a small pistol and 16 rounds. Flight Lieutenant Nachiketa did not know where he was. I was carrying confidential information with me and trying to understand the situation. I could hear a lot of firing. I could not understand if it was aimed at me or not.
So I ran to hide behind some stones. Then I saw five-six soldiers. By then it was clear that I was not in the area where our forces were camped. I fired from my pistol, but the eight rounds got over very quickly. Before I could load another magazine, one of them came near me. In a few moments, the soldier put the barrel of the AK-47 in my mouth. I was watching his trigger finger to see if he would pull it or not. But fate had something else in store. The Army captain in charge of the platoon stopped him, said the retired Air Force officer, who now flies commercial flights.
Captain K Nachiketa Rao (Retd) said that the Pakistani Army Captain was able to convince his colleagues that the Indian pilot was just doing his duty as a soldier. He said that I was taken captive and we went to the campsite. Group Captain Nachiketa Rao (Retd) said that he did not know its location at that time. But, a few years ago, when he returned to the same area in an Army helicopter, he came to know that the camp was in Indian territory, about 6 km from the Line of Control. He said that his back is paining due to the ejection and the cold is penetrating his boots. I respect that Captain a lot on a personal level. He saved me from my soldiers and when they captured me and came here, he gave me first aid.
ISI specialist cell tortured him
The officer said that when our army finally captured the area and got the entire part of the land back, this (Pakistani) army officer was killed. I came to know about this when I got an excerpt from his diary from our army intelligence sources. I have a lot of respect for him for the way he treated me. From the camp, the captive Indian pilot was taken to Skardu in a helicopter. There he was lightly interrogated. About 24 hours later, a C130 (plane) came and I was taken to Islamabad and then to Rawalpindi. It took them about a day to declare me uncooperative. After that they handed me over to the ISI specialist cell.
Captain K Nachiketa Rao (Retd) said that what happened after that was quite bad. Using many techniques like being alone in the cell, heat, standing, beating, not giving food. It becomes very difficult because they want to break you mentally, physically and emotionally so that you start talking. But, I was again a bit lucky because by the time this part is over, we reach a state which is called drugs or third degree. If they start third degree, I later came to know that there is no situation to be sent back. Till now, they could explain all the injuries by saying that he was trying to escape and all this happened. But when third degree starts, there are marks on your body which they cannot explain. I was lucky that before that stage came, it was decided to bring me back to India.
Describing the moment of relief he felt when he learnt he was coming back home, the retired officer said he was sent to a safe house and given new clothes. “And people gave me food, and I got all the basic amenities back. I could sense something had changed. They didn’t tell me at the time, but I felt something had changed.
He said that after resting for a while, he was taken to the International Red Cross Society. He said that prisoners of war are not directly handed over to other countries to avoid any kind of trouble in the future. Therefore, they undergo basic medical checkup there. After submitting some documents, they handed me over to the Indian Embassy. I spoke to my parents and told them that I am fine. Then I spoke to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
He retired from the Air Force in 2017
After his return, Group Captain Nachiketa (Retd) did not fly fighter jets but was shifted to transport aircraft. Asked if it was due to any injury, he said, “It happens that when you eject, especially if you are tall, you may get compression injuries on the spinal cord. In my case, it was complicated due to lack of rest after ejection. There were multiple compressions on the dorsal part of my spine. So the medical process which took about 3 to 4 years indicated that I could not fly the ejection seat once again. So I was shifted to transport airplanes. During these 3 to 4 years, I flew unmanned aerial vehicles. I flew transport aircraft, then I retired in 2017 and moved to commercial flights.”