Bengaluru: “Niranjan was an NCC cadet of the 8th Karnataka Battalion at BEL College from 1997 to 1999. He was intelligent and was very fond of his uniforms. He always turned up for the parade perfectly dressed. He was punctual and never skipped parades. He was not only self-motivated, but also exhorted others, including his elder brother Sharath Chandra, to join the armed forces,” recollected Major Shankar Jadhav, former NCC officer and retired principal of BEL College.
“Sharath, who was motivated enough by Niranjan to join the forces, got commissioned before his brother. Later Niranjan too found his way into the NSG as a commissioned officer in 2003. His sister Bhagyalakshmi was also our student. Niranjan had leadership qualities, but never showed off. He was down-to-earth,” Maj. Shankar Jadhav said.
“After he was commissioned, Niranjan came to the school and met us. He told me, ‘We will keep your name and prestige high sir’, and he lived up to it,” Maj. Jadhav said.
Deccan Chronicle visited BP Indian Public School in Malleswaram, where Niranjan studied from Class V (1991-92) to Class X (1996-97). “We remember Niranjan. He was a hardworking, sincere, disciplined and obedient student, who was active in cultural and sports activities. He was good at taking initiatives and helping others. As he was a little short then, he sat in the middle benches,” said his English teacher Ila Kar.
“We are proud that he was a product of our school. He will be an inspiration for other children as he laid down his life for the country,” School Principal Sunitha V. Rao said.
“We informed our students about Niranjan in the morning. We observed a 2-minute silence at 11 am. His class group photograph was put up on the notice board, and later in the afternoon, the teachers went to pay homage to the slain officer at the BEL School Ground,” she said.
Niranjan was at Stella Mary’s School in Malleswaram till Class 4 and later joined B.P. Indian Public School in 1991. Niranjan did his PU at the BEL College and later joined St. Joseph’s College for his graduation in science, even while aspiring to pursue his Engineering. He got a seat in Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology (VIT) in the mechanical stream and pursued the course.
Niranjan was a sport enthusiast, loved kickboxing
The mortal remains of Lt Col E.K. Niranjan Kumar, the 34-year-old officer from the NSG’s Bomb Disposal Squad who was killed while defusing a live grenade on the body of a terrorist in Pathankot, was kept at the BEL College Grounds for the public to pay their respects here on Monday.
It was the same college where Lt Col Kumar completed his pre-university in 1997-1999, and the same ground he played cricket and football, his cousins said.
Lt Col’s wife Dr K.G. Radhika, who was holding their 18-month-old daughter Vismaya, his father E.K. Sivarajan, sister Bhagyalakshmi and brothers Sharath Chandra and Shashank were inconsolable. “Niranjan was too good in sports. He loved kickboxing and trekking. He also played football, basketball and cricket in the same ground that we are sitting now. He had a peculiar and a unique bowling style,” recollects E.K. Sampath, Niranjan’s cousin.
“Being a lieutenant colonel, he could have ordered his subordinates to search the bodies of the terrorists for bombs and grenades, but he has done the job on his own and laid down his life. He is a role model for other officers and it shows how he treated his subordinates and team-mates. This happens only in the forces and nowhere else,” said an Army spokesperson.
“Niranjan was in the United States for training before he was promoted as Lieutenant Colonel two months ago. He was then posted to the Bomb Disposal Squad in the National Security Guards (NSG). His family was initially reluctant when he expressed his desire to train as a commando and serve in the bomb disposal squad. He was so determined that the family gave in,” said Girish, a friend of Niranjan’s brother Sharath Chandra.
