Indian Army veteran-turned-UN officer killed in Gaza; family awaits mortal remains

Colonel Vaibhav Anil Kale (Retd), who was murdered while on his way to a hospital in Gaza's Rafah area, lived in Pune and had recently joined the UN as a security service coordinator, according to his family.

Two days after his body is flown via Cairo, the 46-year-old former Indian army officer's final rites will take place in Pune, according to his brother-in-law Wing Commander Prasant Karde (Retd), who spoke to PTI.

Wing Commander Karde, a senior commander of IndiGo, stated that Col. Kale was travelling in a vehicle flying the UN flag when it came under fire.

"Vaibhav left the army three years ago and had settled in Pune. He hailed from Nagpur and had studied at the Somalwar high school there," he said.

According to him, the former infantry officer chose to enlist in the UN in order to further his career and because he was passionate about working for humanitarian causes.

"While Vaibhav succumbed to bullet injuries, another officer who was with him in the vehicle, is critical and undergoing treatment," said Wing Commander Karde.

According to him, Vaibhav's remains are being transported by plane from Cairo and will arrive in Mumbai or Pune, contingent on the flight schedule.

Col Kale was on deputation in a UN peacekeeping operation in Congo from 2009 to 2010, according to Wing Commander Karde. "In fact,that stint was a motivation for undertaking the latest UN stint which proved fatal," he stated.

The army commander had led the 11 JAK Rifles in Kashmir and served as an instructor at the army's Infantry School in Mhow.

"Vaibhav joined the army in 1998and in his more than two decades long career in the military, had served in the north-east and also in the Siachen glacier. He was a retired deputy commander of Rashtriya Rifles in Kashmir and was a part of counter-intelligence andcounter terrorismoperations," he said.

He is survived by his wife, Amruta, and their two teenage children, son Vedant and daughter Radhika. His brother, Group Captain Vishal Kale, holds a senior position in the Indian Air Force, while his cousin, Colonel Amey Kale, serves in the army.

(With inputs from agencies)