The mortal remains of Sepoy D.P. Sandip Kumar, who died in an avalanche at Gurez in Jammu last week, were laid to rest in his native village, Devihalli, near here, with full State honours on Wednesday. Hundreds of people from neighbouring villages paid him their last respects.
Sandip Kumar, attached to the 51st Rashtriya Rifles, was stuck in an avalanche on January 25. His parents were informed about his death two days later, and they had been waiting for the arrival of his body since then. The body reached Hassan around 2.30 a.m. on Wednesday. It was kept in the mortuary of the Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences till 8 a.m. and later shifted to the Deputy Commissioner’s office premises, where people were allowed to pay their respects. A guard of honour was given by a contingent of the District Armed Reserve, who fired three rounds in the air as a mark of respect to the soldier. Deputy Commissioner V. Chaitra, Superintendent of Police R.K. Shahapurwad, senior officers of the district administration, MLA H.S. Prakash, and Hassan CMC president H.S. Anil Kumar were among those who paid homage to Sandip Kumar. Many of those who stood in long queues to pay their last respects were college students and ex-servicemen.
The body was then taken to Devihalli in a special vehicle. His parents, Puttaraju and Gangamma, and hundreds of villagers received the body.
Sandip Kumar had visited the village in November 2016 to take part in a religious programme and was felicitated then.
