Obituary: Colonel Ajit Datta & Anuradha Datta

Colonel Ajit Datta, 76, breathed his last due to COVID-19 in a hospital at Noida on April 21, 2021. Four days later, his wife — Anuradha Datta also breathed her last. Both were COVID-19 victims. They have left behind two daughters and a son.

Col. Ajit Datta was the youngest son among the 10 children of Major Suren Datta. His early childhood and schooling was in Shillong where he excelled in several sports. He joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) in the early 1960s. After the NDA, he went to the Indian Military Academy from where he was commissioned into the Gurkha Rifles. He was later transferred to the Garhwal Regiment. He saw action in the battle of 'Dera Baba Nanak' during the 1965 war.

He was an extremely popular officer whose troops adored him on account of his humane understanding towards them. He was also actively involved in the 1971 war, when he led a small team in the destruction of a bridge which prevented a Pakistani attack on Amritsar.

He later commanded the 4th Garhwal battalion, after which he served in various staff posts including the Military Secretary's branch in Delhi. Later, he was deputed to the Assam Rifles where he served as the Deputy Director.

Later, he took voluntary retirement from the Army and joined the State Bank of India (SBI) as the Chief Security Officer in the North East. While in the SBI, his most memorable action was several visits to Myanmar, which resulted in the recovery of Rs 2 crores, which had been looted from a SBI branch in Mizoram. He finally retired and settled in Noida as both daughters were employed in the NCR.

Anuradha Datta was a very talented person. She was educated at St. Mary's Convent, Shillong. Later, she studied in Cotton College and then completed her post-graduation in English literature from Gauhati University. Thereafter, she taught at Digboi College until her marriage to Ajit. She was a beautician, an active gardener and a wonderful mother.

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