Lt Col E K Niranjan's body brought to Bengaluru, his family says he always wanted to don the uniform

The mortal remains of 34-year-old Lieutenant Colonel E K Niranjan, who lost his life during the combing operations in Pathankot, have been brought to Bengaluru. Several political leaders including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah paid homage to the Lieutenant Colonel. The body will later be taken to his native home in Palakkad in Kerala where he will be laid to rest.

Lt Col E K Niranjan, a member of the NSG's Bomb Disposal Squad and a Kerala resident, died after he succumbed to injuries which he sustained while he was trying to retrieve a live grenade from the body of a dead terrorist at the scene of the terror attack as part of the combing operations.

Mourning his death, his family members say that he always wanted to don the uniform. "He always wanted to join the Army. He loved the uniform. In our native village, he's the first person to become a Lieutenant Colonel. Everybody there wants to see him, so we'll take him there," Lt Colonel Niranjan's father Shivraj said.

His sister also recalled her brother and said that he always led a bold life. "He was always very passionate about the force. He wanted to joint the armed forces as it was his passion. He lost his mother at the age of 4 but he always lived a bold life and he was aware of the risk. He is a Yudh Veera for me. He is the Arjuna who save many lives and fulfilled his duty. What he did is not easy. I last spoke with him on January 1 around 1 AM. He sounded very calm then," Lt Colonel Niranjan's sister Bhagyalakshmi said.

Lt Colonel Niranjan's is survived by his wife Dr Radhika and an 18-month-old daughter.

In a pre-dawn attack on Saturday, a group of heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists, suspected to belong to Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit, struck at the Pathankot Air Force base in Punjab, leading to a fierce gunbattle. Seven security personnel have been killed and several others have been injured. Four terrorists have also been killed in the encounter.