Pune Bids Farewell To Late Colonel Waibhav Anil Kale With Full State Honours
Camp, 17th May 2024: Colonel Waibhav Anil Kale (retd), who was killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza, was cremated today with full state honours at Pune Cantonment Muktidham Crematorium. Police personnel paid tribute to the soldier with gun salutes and the final bugle call.
During the ceremony, Divisional Commissioner Dr. Chandrakant Pulkundwar and Major General RS Sundaram, Chief of Staff of the Southern Command, offered floral tributes. Colonel Kale’s son Vedant and daughter Radhika performed the last rites, accompanied by family members including his mother, wife, brother, and father-in-law.
Former Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Noble Thamburaj (Retd), Director of Department of Sainik Welfare Brigadier Rajesh Gaikwad (Retd), and other dignitaries, along with former and serving army officers and citizens, paid their respects to Colonel Kale.
Colonel Kale (46), who was a resident of Kalyani Nagar, led operations against terrorists at the Pathankot airase and served in various regions, including Siachen Glacier, Dras near Kargil, and the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Northeast India. He lost his life while serving as a United Nations Security Coordination Officer in Gaza.
After completing training at the National Defence Academy (NDA) and Indian Military Academy (IMA), Kale joined the Indian Army in the year 2000. He served with the 11th Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, eventually commanding the unit before voluntarily retiring in 2022. He continued his service with ‘UNDSS’ under the United Nations Secretary-General, with his final assignment in Gaza where he died in the Israeli attack on May 12.
