Lt Col.’s mortal remains cremated with full military honours

HYDERABAD: The mortal remains of Lieutenant Colonel V. Vijay Bhanu Reddy were cremated with full military honours at his native place in Bommala Ramaram village of Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district on Saturday.

Before the last rites, the mortal remains were kept at the Reddy’s Malkajgiri residence in Hyderabad, where General Manoj Pande, Chief of Army Staff, laid a wreath and paid homage to the officer. Accompanied by his wife Archana Pande, the Chief of Army Staff conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family.

Southern Army Commander Lt Gen A.K. Singh also paid a floral tribute to the late Vijay Bhanu Reddy.

Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan also paid tribute to Reddy, saying that the brave officer’s services and sacrifice would be remembered by the nation forever. The Governor consoled the family members and expressed her sympathy for their plight.

As the deceased officer's remains were passing through Keesara village, en route to Yadadri district, the youth and public representatives in the area people flocked to the streets to pay their tributes. Hundreds of people followed the military vehicle to shower flowers and praise his services.

The Lt Colonel and Major Jagannath A. of Army Aviation died in the line of duty, when a chopper they were travelling in crashed in Arunachal Pradesh during an operational sortie on March 16.

Following the incident, a special service aircraft was pressed into service to transport the late Lt Colonel’s mortal remains to the Begumpet Air Force Station, where Station Commander Brigadier K. Somashankar and other officers paid their tributes.