india

Updated: Sep 15, 2019 08:53 IST

Recognising the contribution of canines on the battlefield, the army held a memorial service for a brave golden Labrador, named Dutch, who saved many lives by detecting improvised explosive devices (IEDs) during a string of operations in the eastern sector, two army officers said on Saturday.

Dutch died of natural causes on September 11. He was nine.

The Kolkata-headquartered Eastern Command on Saturday tweeted a message of condolence along with images of the memorial service where soldiers can be seen saluting the canine’s mortal remains covered in wreaths.

“He was a decorated dog of #EasternCommand who was instrumental in identifying IEDs in various CI/CT Ops (counter-insurgency/counter-terror operations). A real hero in service to nation,” the Eastern Command said.

The memorial service was held at the Tezpur-based 19 Army Dog Unit in Assam.

The explosive detection specialist was twice awarded the Eastern Army commander’s commendation card for outstanding service that helped saved scores of lives and public property, said one of the officers cited above. The names and unique service numbers of decorated dogs are put up on roll-of-honour boards at military units.

Dutch also enjoyed cult status in the army dog unit he served. In November 2014, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a visit to Guwahati in Assam, he detected a deadly IED placed in one of the coaches of Kamakhya Express at Alipurduar in West Bengal, said the second officer. The train starts from Kamakhya Junction in Guwahati.

A month later, Dutch helped an army squad avert a tragedy by sniffing out an IED planted in a bus in Assam’s Goalpara district. In both the cases, the army’s bomb disposal squads defused the explosive devices.

Former army chief General Deepak Kapoor said the dog units in the army play a significant role during operations as canines are trained to perform specific tasks such as sniffing out explosives, detecting drugs, tracking insurgents and accompanying soldiers on patrol.

The IEDs are one of the biggest challenges confronting soldiers deployed in the insurgency-hit parts of the North-east. The predominant weapon of insurgent groups, IEDs, have killed, maimed or injured hundreds of soldiers and civilians during the last three decades.

According to experts, the IEDs were increasingly used in the Northeast in the 1990s, when insurgents began emulating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a militant outfit that fought for Tamil independence in Sri Lanka.

The contribution of army dog units is significant in the Northeast, with hundreds of Labradors and German Shepherds involved in counter-insurgency operations in the area.

Gracy, a seven-year-old Labrador, was awarded the army chief’s commendation card on Independence Day 2018 for detecting an IED on Asian Highway-1 (AH-1) that links Manipur’s Imphal to Moreh, a town bordering Myanmar. Assigned to the 16 Army Dog Unit, Gracy proudly wears the commendation on her collar.

Army dogs have a long history of valour in the North-east, the second officer said. Assigned to 3 Army Dog Unit, Alex (No. A130) won a cash award of ~1,000 on August 2, 1965, Gisha (No. 1A49) won the army chief’s commendation card on August 15, 1987, and Heera (No. 726A) won the same honour on August 15, 2010.

Mala (No. 31A2) stands out as one of the most decorated dogs, winning the army chief’s commendation cards in 2001 and 2003, followed by the Eastern Army commander’s commendation card in 2004.

Dog squads are a valuable army asset in Jammu and Kashmir too. Belonging to the 29 Army Dog Unit, Danfy (No. B870) sniffed out 43 pieces of unexploded ordnance and 16 rocket-propelled grenades in a string of de-mining operations in the Drass sector in August 2017. He was awarded the army chief’s commendation card the next year.

“The detection of explosives averted a major mishap, casualty to our troops,” his citation said.

The Indian Army has 26 dog units comprising 25 dogs in each. In 2018-19, the force spent about ?1.25 crore on maintaining such units, including food, training and other expenses.