Bengaluru: As emotions run high, Sepoy Sandeep Kumar laid to rest

Hassan: Sepoy Sandeep Kumar (26) was laid to rest on Wednesday at his village Devihalli, Shantigrama hobli of Hassan amid emotional scenes and state honours. The mortal remains of the soldier, who died in avalanche at Gurez area of Bandipora district in Kashmir on January 26, were ferried from Srinagar to Bengaluru and reached Hassan in the early hours of Wednesday.

Sandeep's body could not be airlifted from the accident spot because of adverse weather conditions and the family had to wait till Tuesday for the body to arrive. It reached Hassan around 2.30 am on Wednesday and the mortal remains were kept at the Deputy Commissioner's office from 8 am onwards for public viewing. 

Residents of Hassan, mainly students from various schools and colleges, paid their last respects to the departed soldier. Later, the body was taken in a procession from the DC's office to Devihalli via Bhuvanahalli and Shantigrama. All along the route, villagers lined up both sides of the road and placed garlands on the mortal remains. 

Devihalli saw a large crowd and it was emotional as many villagers broke down. Sandeep's mother Gangamma fainted on seeing her son's body when it was taken out of the coffin. The final rites were held at the family farm close to their house at Devihalli. Sandeep was given the gun salute by the police personnel, amid chants of "Sandeep will live forever" from the villagers. MLAs H.K. Kumaraswamy and H.S. Prakash, MLCs Lakshminarayan and Gopalaswami, Hassan City Municipal Council president Anilkumar among others were present.