A famous member of the Indian Army's bomb squad is no more. Dutch, a dog who had been a part of the Indian Army since 2010, died on September 11.
"Dutch was born at RVC Centre & College, Meerut, and was one of the most decorated dogs in the Indian Army," said an Army spokesperson.
Dutch served the nation for nine years as a explosives detection specialist and was in the thick of counter-terrorism operations in Eastern Command. Dutch was deployed in operations in Assam, Manipur and Nagaland, three major insurgency-infested states in the northeast.
In an operation, Dutch was instrumental in successful identification of an IED weighing 6kg in a public bus at Goalpara district of Assam in December 2014.
Dutch even saved the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he visited Assam five years ago.
"In November 2014, during the visit of honourable prime minister to Guwahati, he outstandingly performed in capturing an IED of 7kg in a coach of Kamakhya Express at Alipurdwar, which saved many lives and public property, performing silently as true soldiers in service to the nation," an officer said.
Investigations later revealed the explosives were on their way to Modi's venue.
Dutch was a pioneer in receiving appreciation of the GOC-in-C of Eastern Command on two occasions. It was equivalent to the Army commander's medals for soldiers.
Dutch died due to natural causes on September 11 after providing nine years of service to the nation.
