The body of an Indian soldier who disappeared 38 years ago in a glacier on the Pakistani border has been found, the Indian Army said on Wednesday. A military unit released images of Chander Shekhar’s coffin with an Indian flag, two days after India celebrated the 75th anniversary of its independence.
The army said Shekhar took part in Operation Meghdoot in 1984, when India and Pakistan clashed over control of the Siachen Glacier, considered the highest and most challenging battleground in the world. At 5,486 meters above sea level, it is considered one of the most challenging and highest battlegrounds in the world, with temperatures that can reach minus 50 degrees.
Located in the Indian Himalayas in Ladakh, the glacier is claimed by India and Pakistan, two nuclear powers. Decades after the first battle for Siachen, both countries maintain a military presence in this remote region.
Indian media reported that Shekhar was part of a group of 20 soldiers who were trapped in an ice storm while on patrol. At the time, 15 bodies were recovered, but the other five were not found.
A funeral with military honors will be organized in the state of Uttarakhand, where Shekhar’s family lives.
