People bid an emotional farewell to NSG commando lt Col Niranjan Kumar, who was killed during battle against terrorists at Pathankot airbase on Sunday, as he was laid to rest on Tuesday with full military honours at his ancestral home at Elambulassery near Mannarkad in Kerala’s Palakkad district.
Chants of ‘Hare Rama Hare Rama… Hare Krishna Hare Krishna’ filled the air of the premises of Niranjan’s ancestral home, Kalarikkal, at Elambulassery as the body was lowered to the soil pit. The burial was held as per community customs and the martyr was accorded full military honours including gun salute.
The hero’s widow Dr KG Radhika, 18-month-old daughter Vismaya, his father EK Sivarajan, siblings, other relatives and friends and thousands of people including Government and military dignitaries and people’s representatives gave a tearful adieu to him before the mortal remains were taken out for burial.
Earlier in the day, the body was taken to the grounds of a primary school in the martyr’s native village where it was kept for several hours for the people to pay homage. The people accorded an emotional farewell to the national hero with floral tributes and patriotic slogans. Elambulassery and the areas around it observed a hartal as a mark of respect to the martyred soldier.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala represented the Kerala Government at the funeral ceremony. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and his Cabinet colleagues AP Anil Kumar and K Babu had visited the house and paid homage to the braveheart lateMonday night. MlAs and MPs from the district and other people’s representatives were present at the funeral.
“From now on, this obscure village will be known for the memories of Niranjan,” said Gopalakrishnan, a local resident. “We have always known that there was a soldier boy in the Kalarikkal family but had never realized that he was such a high-ranking officer. Now when we know that we have already lost him,” he added.
The body of lt Col Niranjan, who was killed in a blast when he was defusing an IED found on the body of one of the terrorists at the Pathankot airbase, was brought to Palakkad from Bangalore by a helicopter on Monday afternoon. It was later taken to his ancestral home in Elambulassery by road.
Niranjan, attached to the elite bomb squad of the NSG, was born and brought up in Bangalore where his father Sivarajan was employed. He was with the Madras Engineering Group of the Army before he moved into NSG on deputation. “This house and village had a special place in his heart always,” said Harikrishnan, brother of Niranjan’s father.