Havildar G. Mohankumar (41) of the 25 Madras Regiment was cremated near his native place in Kovaipudur on Sunday. He was killed in a bomb attack fighting militants in Theigothang village under Singhat Sub-division near the international border with Myanmar in Manipur on Thursday.
When his body was flown here, Minister S.P. Velumani, Collector Archana Patnaik, Member of Parliament-elect, Coimbatore, P. Nagarajan, Members of the Legislative Assembly, senior police officers led by Commissioner, Coimbatore, A.K. Viswanathan and others paid respects by placing wreaths on the coffin.
Mr. Velumani gave Rs. 10 lakh to Mohankumar’s widow Bhanumathi, as announced by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. He also consoled the grieving family members. Hundreds of the residents from Kovaipudur were present at his house to pay respects. Men from the Indian Army paid respects with gun salute.
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News reports said that a splinter hit him on the neck. He was airlifted to a military hospital but succumbed on the way.