People bid an emotional farewell to Lieutenant Colonel E K Niranjan, who was killed while defusing a grenade during the terror attack at the Pathankot IAF base, as he was on Tuesday laid to rest with full military honours at his ancestral home near Palakkad.
The body of the 32-year-old bomb expert with the National Security Guard was buried on the premises of his paternal home at Elambulassery in Palakkad, amidst chanting of 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna' mantras.
He was accorded full military honours, including the gun salute, as army personnel sounded the bugle.
Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala represented the state government at the funeral ceremony.
Niranjan's father E K Sivarajan and his other relatives were among those present at the event.
Earlier in the day, the body was kept at the KUP School where hundreds of people, including school children, lined up to pay homage.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and his cabinet colleagues K Babu and A P Anil Kumar visited the house and paid homage late Monday night.
On Monday, after the mortal remains of Niranjan were brought to Thiruvanthapuram from Bengaluru in a helicopter, they were taken to his ancestral village on a flower-decked army truck.
People lined up in many places on both sides of the road to have a glimpse of the brave-heart and threw flowers as a mark of respect.
Emotional scenes were witnessed when the body reached Elambulassery with locals thronging the roads and throwing flowers on the cortege and raising patriotic slogans in many places.
Niranjan was commissioned in the Engineers Regiment of the Army in 2004. Niranjan, head of the elite bomb squad of the NSG, was killed while defusing an IED at Pathankot IAF base, on Monday. He was among seven security personnel killed in the terrorist attack there.
He is survived by his wife and an 18-month-old daughter.
Meawhile, A 24-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday in Malappuram district for allegedly making unsavoury remarks on social media against Lt Colonel Niranjan.
The man, identified as Anwar Sadhik, was arrested under Indian Penal Code Section 124(A) (sedition).
Police said Sadhik, posing himself as a journalist attached to a regional daily, allegedly made derogatory remarks against Niranjan and his family in his Facebook post.
He was arrested based on a complaint by the management of the regional daily, whose name he used in the post.
A casual labourer at a local shop was arrested from his house at Chemmankadavu in Malappuram district in the wee hours of Tuesday, police said.
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