13 Facts About Kambampati Nachiketa

Group Captain Kambampati Nachiketa Rao, VM is a retired officer of the Indian Air Force.

Kambampati Nachiketa studied at Kendriya Vidyalaya in Delhi, and joined the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla.

Armed with 80mm rockets and the aircraft's 30mm cannon, Kambampati Nachiketa attacked an enemy position.

Kambampati Nachiketa continued to fire his service pistol until he ran out of bullets.

Kambampati Nachiketa was taken to a prison in Rawalpindi where he was beaten up by Pakistani soldiers until a senior officer intervened.

Kambampati Nachiketa realised the situation that I am now a captive and now I need not be handled that way.

Kambampati Nachiketa remained a prisoner of war for eight days.

Kambampati Nachiketa was first taken to an undisclosed location in the Batalik.

Kambampati Nachiketa was interrogated by the Director of Operations of the Pakistan Air Force, Group Captain Kaiser Tufail.

Kambampati Nachiketa was handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Pakistan and was repatriated over the Indian border check post at Attari on the Amritsar-to-Lahore road on 3 June 1999.

Kambampati Nachiketa described his experiences in captivity as "difficult to be described in words" and said he felt "death would have been a better solution".

Kambampati Nachiketa was promoted to group captain and flew Ilyushin Il-78 mid-air refuelling transport aircraft with No 78 Squadron IAF, stationed at Agra.

Kambampati Nachiketa suffers from long-term back pain due to an injury sustained during the parachute landing in the war.