Bengaluru :

The Army on Monday in augurated the Mahendra Nath Mulla Hall and Vasanth Block at the Selection Centre (South) in Bengaluru, dedicated to martyrs Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla and Colonel Vasanth Venugopal. Their busts were also unveiled.

According to a statement issued here, Mulla is remembered in the Navy for his sacrifice in the 1971 Indo-Pak War. He was commanding INS Khukri, a 1,200-tonne anti-submarine frigate, which was deployed to hunt down a Pakistani submarine. Vasanth was commanding the 9 Maratha Light Infantry deployed on the LoC in the Uri sector.

On July 30, 2007, upon receiving information of terrorist infiltration, he led a contingent and intercepted the terrorists. On July 31, he rallied his men to flush out the terrorists; he engaged them from close quarters killing one terrorist, but was injured and eventually died.