When most of us were toying with the idea of leaving our bed in our comfortable abode on February 14th morning, a CRPF team was engaged in fierce gun battle with three suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists in Kashmir’s Bandipora district. Three of our soldiers were martyred and one terrorist was eliminated but there was one CRPF soldier who could not be killed.
Terrorists sprayed multiple bullets on Chetan Kumar Cheetah of which nine hit him. He suffered injuries to his head, bilateral upper limbs, waist, and pelvic region, hands and lost his right eye during the encounter. He was bleeding profusely and had slipped into deep coma but this man knew how to deceive death.
Chetan Cheeta even fired 16 rounds even after sustaining injuries. Chetan Kumar Cheetah led to the killing of the top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Abu Musaib, according to The Week report.
He was first rushed to a military hospital in Srinagar , however, given his critical state, he was airlifted to AIIMS Trauma Center in Delhi for further treatment. Cheetah, a commanding officer at CRPF’s 45th battalion, took the entire nation by surprise with his exceptional tale of courage and survival. Doctors at AIIMs are stupefied by the pace of his recovery. It’s been only 50 days since he was brought to the hospital. His GCS score was M3, in other words, he was in deep coma due to severe brain injury. Now his score is M6, Cheetah is conscious, talking and will be discharged soon, doctors say.
“CRPF’s Chetan Cheeta is fit to go home, requires rehabilitation. His strong will power helped him fight back and recover,” AIIMs said in a press briefing.
Cheetah’s wife Uma Singh believes along with medication, his husband’s penchant for fitness and his willpower has also helped in his recovery. “He is a very determined person and a fitness freak. I always knew he would recover,” she told the daily. Singh is also hopeful that her husband could be discharged on Wednesday. While Cheetah’s wife should also be credited for her husband’s recovery as the woman stood by her like a rock in the toughest time of their lives.
While a lot of the information about Cheetah’s professional achievement is not in public domain, InUth spoke to his colleagues, who highlighted his involvement in combat operations in Maoist areas while he was serving with the elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBra) force.
CRPF officer Chetan Cheeta welcomed at his residence in Najafgarh in Delhi, who was injured in Bandipora (J&K) encounter being pic.twitter.com/svrCiaxtgH
— ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017
Cheetah’s tale adds yet another glorious chapter in the great tradition of our Indian army that continues to inspire us with its courage and self sacrifice.
