Pathankot terror attack: Bengaluru pays tribute to martyred Lieutenant Colonel Niranjan Kumar

Bengaluru paid tribute to martyred Lieutenant Colonel Niranjan Kumar, who was killed while defusing a grenade at Pathankot Indian Air Force base on Sunday.

His mortal remains arrived at Kempe Gowda International Airport early on Monday morning and the body was taken to his residence at Bommasandra near Vidyaranyapura in Bengaluru. Later, the body was shifted to the BEL grounds for citizens to pay their last respects. Thousands of people waited in queue at the Bharath Electronics Limited (BEL) grounds to pay their respects to the departed soul. A majority of them were school children from nearby schools and BEL employees.

Heading the elite bomb squad of the National Security Guard (NSG), 32-year-old Niranjan was commissioned in the Engineers Regiment of the Army in 2004. His father was working with BEL and has been residing in Bengaluru for more than four decades. According to sources, arrangements were being made for the last rites at the family's native place in Palakkad in Kerala. The mortal remains of Lieutenant Colonel Niranjan will be taken to Palakkad by 3 pm today.

Prominent persons like Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Union Minister for Law DV Sadananda Gowda, Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar and military officials paid tributes to the martyr.

Lieutenant Colonel Niranjan was killed while defusing an IED at Pathankot IAF base on Sunday. He is survived by his wife Dr Radhika and an 18-month-old daughter. He was among the seven security personnel killed in the terrorist attack at Pathankot IAF base.