Kambampati Nachiketa
Kambhampati Nachiketa | |
|---|---|
Nachiketa wearing a squadron leader's rank epaulette | |
| Nickname | Nachi |
| Born | 30 May 1973 Hyderabad |
| Allegiance | India |
| Branch | Indian Air Force |
| Service years | 1994 – 2017 |
| Rank | Group Captain |
| Unit | No. 9 Squadron No. 78 Squadron |
| Conflicts | Kargil War |
| Awards | Vayusena Medal |
Kambhampati Nachiketa VM is a retired Group Captain of the Indian Air Force.[1] While carrying out an airstrike on Pakistani positions in the Batalik sector during the Kargil War, his aircraft was shot down by a Pakistani MANPAD. Nachiketa was ejected from his Mikoyan MiG-27[2] and was taken into Pakistani custody by a platoon led by Captain Rao Tahseen Ali of the 5 NLI. He is currently a pilot for commercial airlines.
Early life
Nachiketa was born on 30 May 1973 to Sri. K. R. K. Sastri and Smt. KSM. Laxmi.[3] He studied at Kendriya Vidyalaya RK Puram Sect 8 in Delhi, and joined the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla.
Kargil War
During the Kargil War, Nachiketa was a flight lieutenant and a Mikoyan MiG-27 pilot from No. 9 Squadron IAF (Wolfpack) who took part in a strike in the Batalik Sector on 27 May 1999.[4] Using the callsign Hyena-2 as a part of a four aircraft formation his MiG-27 was armed with 80mm rockets and the aircraft's guns he successfully carried out strikes against enemy camps. However following his strafing run his plane suffered a sudden engine failure and Nachiketa was forced to eject.[5]
After ejecting, Nachiketa evaded immediate capture but after an ambush and exchange of fire with the enemy soldiers, a Pakistani army patrol captured him.[6] Nachiketa continued to fire his service pistol until he ran out of bullets. After his capture he was beaten up by Pakistani soldiers until Captain Rao Tahseen Ali 5 NLI intervened. Speaking to NDTV in 2016, Nachiketa said:
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 be handled that way. So he was able to control them, which was a big effort because they were very aggressive at that stage.[7]
Life as a prisoner
Nachiketa remained a prisoner of war for eight days.[8] He was first taken to an undisclosed location in the Batalik. After a two-hour wait, he was taken by helicopter to Skardu.
He also had an interaction with the Director of Operations of the Pakistan Air Force, Group Captain Kaiser Tufail. 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 prisoner of war. Tufail said his mandate was to inquire into the circumstances of the ejection and the mission.[9]
Repatriation
Nachiketa was handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Pakistan and was subsequently repatriated over the Indian border check post at Attari 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 sometimes felt "death would have been a better option ".[10]
Subsequent career
Nachiketa was promoted to group captain and flew Ilyushin Il-78 mid-air refuelling transport aircraft with No. 78 Squadron IAF, stationed at Agra. He suffers from long-term back pain due to an injury sustained during a parachute landing in the war.[10]
After retirement from the IAF as a group captain, Nachiketa joined as an airline pilot, serving as a captain flying the Airbus A320neo.
| Vayusena Medal | Operation Vijay Star | Operation Vijay Medal | Special Service Medal |
| Sainya Seva Medal | High Altitude Service Medal | 50th Anniversary of Independence Medal | 9 Years Long Service Medal |
References
- ^ "Service Record of Flt. Lt. Kambhampati Nachiketa 22930 F(P)". bharat-rakshak.com. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 20 October 2006.
- ^ "Kargil War | Group Captain Kambhampati Nachiketa | Kargil War Hero Recounts Capture in Pak | Kargil@25". YouTube. 25 July 2024.
- ^ "Flt. Lt. K. Nachiketa VM". Sam's Indian Air Force Down Under. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2006.
- ^ "Engine Flameout". bharat-rakshak.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
- ^ Pandey, Swapnil (8 October 2025). "Why Group Captain Nachiketa has 'immense respect' for a Pakistani Captain". ThePrint. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
- ^ "No fear of flying for this Kargil hero". Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 February 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2006.
- ^ "This is what Pakistan did last time one of our pilots was in its custody". 27 February 2019.
- ^ "Flt Lt Nachiketa arrives in India". Rediff News. 4 June 1999. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ "Amazed we had so much in common: Pak officer on Indian Kargil pilot". Indian Express. 13 June 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
- ^ a b Press Trust of India (15 July 2008). "Kargil's first Indian PoW back in sky, to fly mid-air refuellers". Indian Express. Retrieved 7 January 2012.