Lieutenant Colonel Robert TA was born on 24th January 1981 to Shri Thoiba Angelus and Smt K Karalia. He hailed from Maram centre village in the Senapati district of Manipur. He joined the Army in the year 2003, at the age of 23. He joined through the Technical Entry Scheme (TES) examination and was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers. In 2008, Lieutenant Colonel Robert was awarded the Vice-Chief of the Army Staff Commendation after his squad under his leadership as a captain completed in prestigious Army Adventure Challenge Cup and emerged as the winner.
| Service Number | IC-64259K |
| Place of Birth | Senapati district, Manipur |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | 3 Engineers Regiment |
| Regiment | The Corps of Engineers |
| Date of Martyrdom | 14th May 2020 |
In 2020, Lieutenant Colonel Robert’s unit was deployed in North Sikkim near the Indo-China border. The troops had to perform duties like manning forward posts, monitoring the area, and conducting patrols. On 14th May 2020, Lieutenant Colonel Robert was leading one such patrol comprising three officers and 18 other soldiers. As the troops were making their way through the snow, a horrific avalanche struck them. As a result, Lieutenant Colonel Robert and his comrades got trapped under the snow. A massive rescue operation was launched jointly by the Army, Air Force, and ITBP. Eventually, all the personnel were rescued but unfortunately, Lieutenant Colonel Robert and Snapper Sapala Shanmukha Rao lost their lives owing to prolonged exposure to extreme cold conditions.
Lieutenant Colonel Robert is survived by his wife and two daughters.
