Martyr Lt Col Niranjan Kumar: Born in Bengaluru, his heart was in Kerala

NSG commando Lt Col Niranjan Kumar, who was killed in the grenade blast at Pathankot air base on Sunday, lost his mother at a young age. Born in Bengaluru, Kumar grew up with his two brothers and a sister away from his home state Kerala.

His father EK Sivaranjan, now a retired BEML employee, moved to the city 40 years ago. Kumar’s family roots can be traced to Elambassery village in Palakkad district. His uncle Harikrishnan told The Indian Express that Kumar used to visit his relatives in Kerala during festivals and got married three years ago in Elambassery.

“He had visited us during the last Onam festival in September,” said his uncle. “I last spoke to him in October when he called to inform me about his promotion. He was very happy. He sent me pictures of his daughter through WhatsApp.”

Kumar is survived by his wife Dr KG Radhika and two-year-old daughter Vismay. A member of the NSG’s bomb disposal squad, he was killed while defusing a grenade at the site of terror attack during mopping operations. He had joined the Madras Engineering Group of the Army before moving to the NSG.

Family sources said the body would be cremated at the native village. The body would be flown to Bangalore from Delhi before being taken to Palakkad.