Nagrota attack: Guns boom amid tears for fallen hero Akshay

Bengaluru: Major Akshay Girish Kumar, who died fighting militants in Nagrota in Jammu and Kashmir, was laid to rest at Hebbal crematorium on Thursday. Though the family members of the martyr were inconsolable, they were calm and composed when they came into public view with Akshay’s mortal remains.

The Major's mortal remains reached Bengaluru at around 11.30 am at the Yelahanka air force base station in a service aircraft.  The flight got delayed by at least an hour because of the fog in Delhi. As soon as the aircraft touched down at the Yelahanka air base, a wreath laying ceremony was held.

Law Minister T. B Jayachandara, along with the top army officers, along with air officers of Yelahanka air base paid homage to Akshay’s mortal remains. The ceremony went on for an hour and at about 12.30 pm and the mortal remains of the martyr was transported in a military truck to his parental residence in Jade Garden in Sadhahalli in Devanahalli.

The mortal remains reached his house around 1 o’clock and taken straight to villa no. 643, where it was kept for about an hour only for the close family members and relatives. No ministers, dignitaries, or media personnel were allowed inside the gated community.

At around 2 pm, Akshay’s mortal remains was brought to the club hall, a common meeting hall within the gated community, and kept for public display till 3 pm. Hundreds of people thronged Jade Garden on Thursday afternoon to catch a glimpse of the martyr, who laid down his life for the country.  Several children for the nearby schools in Sadhahalli took time off from their school and paid homage to Akshay.

Emotions ran high when friends, relatives and colleagues shouted ‘Akshayji ki jai’ and ‘Vande Mathram’. Majority of his friends and relatives had only one thing to say that they were very proud of the 31-year-old whom they associated with very close in their respective lives.  Family members and relatives refused to talk to the media.

Akshay’s mortal remain was moved from Jade Gardens to Hebbal crematorium in the same military truck with military honours.

Akshay’s mortal remains reached Hebbal crematorium at 3.30 after which the final rituals were conducted by priest and family members, overseen by military personnel.

Major Akshay Grish Kumar was cremated with full military honours with 21-gun salute amidst his military colleagues along with friends and relatives shouting out ‘Akshayji ki jai’ and ‘Vande Mathram’.

More than the mood of grief and sorrow the feeling of honour dominated the entire final rites ceremony.  A few of his friends were overheard saying we should die like this and “I don’t know I am getting Goosebumps” immediately after the 21-gun salute got over.

Major Akshay was born and brought up in Bangalore and hailed from Belagavi. He studied in Rashtriya Military School and at Jain College. In 2003, while doing his post-graduation, he got selected to National Defence Academy (NDA). He was keen on joining the army as his father and grandfather were military veterans.