Army Officer Dies After 8 Years In Coma, Was Shot In Face By Terrorists

After an eight-year fight for his life, Lt Colonel Karanbir Singh Natt from the Territorial Army (TA), died on Sunday. Lt Col KBS Natt, a Sena medal winner, had been in a coma since 2015, when he was hit by a bullet in the face during an operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara.

Lt Col KBS Natt was the second-in-command of the 160 Infantry Battalion TA (Jammu and Kashmir Rifles). On November 22, 2015, the army had launched an operation in Haji Naka village of Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara following intelligence regarding the presence of terrorists in the area. 

Lt. Col. Natt was an experienced officer who had served in the army for almost 20 years. Before joining the Territorial Army, Lt. Col. Natt joined the regular army in 1998 after passing out from the Officers Training Academy in Chennai and was commissioned in the 19th Battalion of the Brigade of Guards, a mechanized infantry regiment, through the Short Service Commission entry of the army.

After serving for almost 14 years, he left the regular army, though his love for the olive green never ended and he joined the Territorial Army.

November 2015

In November 2015, the Kupwara area of Jammu and Kashmir witnessed back-to-back encounters. On November 17, the 41 Rashtriya Rifles commanded by Colonel Santosh Mahadik launched a massive anti-terror operation in the Kalaroos area of Kupwara. He led the operation from the front and in a fierce gun battle, he was hit in the chest and was severely injured but died due to the gunshot wounds.

Lt. Colonel Natt received a burst of fire after the terrorists were cornered in a hut. The officer was hit in the face by a Kalashnikov bullet and was seriously injured but he saved three of his men during the operation and killed one terrorist.

A Long Battle

Colonel Anil Alagh (Retired), who was the commanding officer of Lt. Colonel Natt's former regiment, wrote a heartfelt post in 2018 to share the struggle of Lt. Col. Natt's family and what he is going through. The officer was airlifted to Srinagar and then taken to the Army's Research and Referral hospital in Delhi. Lt. Col. Natt was in a vegetative state, a condition in which a person was awake but shows no sign of awareness, on the day he was brought in.

The long battle for the infantry officer and his family began. He slipped into a coma due to the injuries. Col. Alagh, who wrote the post on Lt. Col. Natt's wife, Navreet's request, said, "His wife, children Guneet and Ashmeet, his parents and other veterans were by his side."

"I can't find the words," Col. Alagh. "My heart rips apart every time Ashi says, 'When will Papa get up? When will he come to pick me up from school? When will he see my school functions?' Many more questions...I hug her tightly and say, 'Very soon.' Wondering what will happen? Gunnu says he should be with us always even if he is in this condition...we have him," Mr. Alagh wrote quoting Lt. Col. Natt's wife.

"I would like my civilian friends to understand this post, the scars the family members, the children of our soldiers bear," Mr Alagh wrote.

Lt Colonel KBS Natt is survived by his wife, two daughters and his father who is an army officer.