Niranjan's last call: ‘Dad, I am on operation’

BENGALURU: “Dad! I am on an operation,” were the last words of Lt. Colonel Niranjan Kumar to his father Shivarajan E.K., who called his 35-year-old brave son on Saturday afternoon.

Shivarajan was anxiously waiting for his son to return the call and hoping that the operations would get over soon. But, he was heart broken when the news of his son’s death reached him on Sunday morning.

“I was not aware that our son was in the operation fighting terrorists. I called him on Saturday to discuss a few things related to the family when he just said - ‘Dad! I am on an operation’,” said Mr Shivarajan, a proud father of Mr Kumar.

Mr Niranjan Kumar, a member of the National Security Guard’s (NSG) Bomb Disposal Squad, was killed while he was trying to defuse a live grenade on the body of a dead terrorist at the Pathankot airbase.

The younger brother of the martyr, Shashank, told Deccan Chronicle, “It was one of my brother’s colleagues, who learnt about injuries to Niranjan, called my father on Saturday late evening and asked for the number of my eldest brother, Sharath Chandra, who is currently posted in New Delhi as Squadron Leader with the Indian Air Force.”

Shashank said, “He then informed Sharath about Niranjan being killed in the line of duty. Sharath immediately rushed to Pathankot and he broke the news to us around 10.30 am on Sunday.”

The mortal remains of the slain Lt. Col. will be brought to the city early on Monday morning and sent to Command Hospital, Domlur. Then, it will be brought to the family home in Doddabommasandra and kept for the public to pay their last respects. It will be taken to the family’s hometown Palakkad, Kerala for the last rites. Lt Col Niranjan Kumar's parents moved to Bengaluru 38 years ago. Lt Col Kumar was born and raised in the city. He is survived by his wife Dr Radhika and year-old daughter Vismaya. The military aircraft carrying the body is expected to arrive at the KIA from Nagpur early on Monday morning.