As the village Betadur in Karnataka drowned in grief, the body of lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad was cremated on Friday with full State honours.
Earlier, Hanumanthappa’s body was kept at Nehru stadium in Hubli for people to pay homage to the brave soldier.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Opposition leader Jagadish Shettar and many dignitaries were present at the airport when an IAF AN-32 aircraft landed with Koppad’s body at 10.30 pm on Thursday.
After laying wreaths and paying floral tributes, Siddaramaiah consoled Koppada’s widow Mahadevi, mother Basavva, two-year-old daughter Netra and brother Govindappa, who accompanied the body from Delhi.
Siddaramaiah said “Besides an ex-gratia amount, the State Government will give Koppad’s family farm land, a residential plot at Hubbali for building a house and a Government job to his widow.”
When Hanumanthappa’s mortal remains were brought on road from Hubbali airport around midnight, wrapped in a casket and draped in tri-colour, his extended family plunged into grief even as his brother and close relatives broke down.
The 33-year-old braveheart lost the battle for life three days after he was rescued from the Siachen glacier at the world’s highest and coldest battlefield where he was buried under 35 feet in ice for six days after an avalanche struck his camp on 3 February.
Koppad belonged to the 19th battalion of Madras Regiment, which he joined 13 years ago after failing to get through into the army on three occasions in past. Koppad was posted on the Siachen glacier since August 2015 and deployed at one of the highest posts (Sonam) facing Pakistan and where temperatures plunge to minus 40 degrees Celsius and winds blow up to 100-km per hour.