Niranjan E K Shaurya Chakra(Posthumous) | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Elambulassery Kalarikkal Niranjan |
| Born | 02 May 1981 Palakkad, India |
| Died | 2 January 2016 (aged 34) Pathankot, Punjab |
| Allegiance |  Republic of India |
| Service |  Indian Army |
| Rank | Lt Colonel |
| Service number | IC-66162L |
| Unit | ENGINEERS, NSG (BDU) |
| Commands | CO Bomb Disposal Unit National Security Guards |
| Battles / wars | NSG Ops,
OP Rakshak Indian Army operations in Jammu and Kashmir, 2016 Pathankot attack |
| Awards | Shaurya Chakra |
| Relations | Shivaranjan E K(father),
Radha Shivaranjan(mother), Dr.Radhika Niranjan(wife), Vismaya E K(daughter) |
Lt. Colonel Niranjan E K was an officer in the Indian Army serving as the Officer Commandant of a Bomb Disposal Squad of the National Security Guards. He was KIA during 2016 Pathankot attack while conducting area sanitation during which a booby trap got activated. He was awarded Shaurya Chakra posthumously, India's 3rd highest gallantry award during peacetimeCite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
Lt Col Niranjan E K,head of NSG's bomb disposal unit who was killed while sanitizing a terrorist's body during the Pathankot air base terror attack in January, has been honoured with the Shaurya Chakra, the third highest peacetime gallantry medal of the country, on the eve of the 70th Independence Day.
Niranjan, an officer of the Army's Corps of Engineer, was part of the special NSG commandos unit that was rushed to the IAF base in Punjab after four terrorists entered the h ..
The booby trap was described as “an innovative technique” not covered by the manuals and Standard Operating Procedures. Niranjan had a unique set of experiences and skills, which he brought to bear on the task.
He was “an experienced and brilliant counter-IED officer” innovative technique whose antidote was not in the manual or Standard Operating Procedure. He had a wide range of experience, having conducted back-to-back anti-santisation, bomb disposal and anti terror operations in Botna and Bodh Gaya. He had been trained by the Federal Bureau of Investigaiton. Pathankot Airbase attack. [1]
[3] Niranjan: The Bomb Buster, however, is one of a slowly growing number of graphic novels on Indian soldiers. Written by Major General (retd) Bipin Bakshi, Graphic novel |quote=“I was posted to the NSG in Manesar a few months after this operation. We later named an auditorium after Niranjan and unveiled his bust at the premises. I felt that his story needed to reach the younger generation,” says Bakshi, a former para engineer and now, deputy director, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. He is also the author of another graphic novel on Lt Gen P. S. Bhagat, India’s first recipient of the Victoria Cross. Bakshi met Bhagat’s daughter, Ashali Varma, several years ago, when an enclave in Ganganagar cantonment, Rajasthan, was being named after the hero. The idea to do graphic novels came out of that encounter. Bakshi collaborated with Rishi Kumar, illustrator and publisher of Aan Comics, which focuses exclusively on graphic novels on Indian heroes.
A visibly shaken Shashankan E.K., his younger brother, said that while the family was broken, they were also proud that he had served the country well. “He was so stylish and smart. We always joked that he would have made it big in films if he had not chosen to become a soldier. Today, he lies in a coffin,” he said even as he broke down.
[7]
on Monday at his residence in Bommasandra in Bengaluru. Niranjan is survived by his dentist wife Radhika, 18-month-old daughter Vismaya, father Sivarajan, step-mother and brother Shashank.
The final rites of Niranjan will be held at Elumbulsherry village in Palakkad district, Kerala, around 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
[8]
The body arrived at Bengaluru International Airport early this morning between 12.40 am and 1 am. We brought the body wrapped in the Indian Tricolor to our house," E K Sivarajan, the martyr's father, told reporters.
The body is being taken to BEL grounds for the public to pay their last respects, Sivarajan said, adding that around 3 pm it will be flown to his Palakkad residence for the last rites. "He was always interested in the army. I am proud of his sacrifice," Sivarajan said. Niranjan's sister said, "I look at him as Arjuna (3rd of the Pandava brothers) who fought for his karmabhoomi."
[10]
The squad had lost its Commanding Officer Lt Col Niranjan EK while he was sanitising a terrorist's booby-trapped body at the Pathankot airbase which was attacked early this year. The elite force had come under criticism over its handling of the Pathankot IAF air base attack after its operation to neutralise the terrorists stretched to 82 hours. Its claim of six terrorists being involved in the assault had also come under question as the bodies of only four perpetrators could be found.
[11]
Ambala/Bengaluru/Shimla: Some held their tears while others were inconsolable as coffins of security personnel killed in Pathankot terror strike reached home on Monday for last rites, which were performed with full military honours.
Breaking the tradition, the daughters of two slain officers gave shoulder to their father's coffin. Slogans of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' rent the air as the body of Garud commando Gursewak Singh, draped in the tricolour, reached his native Garnala village near Ambala, while the family members of the young Sikh, who was married in November, were inconsolable. The body of Lt Colonel E K Niranjan, a bomb expert with the National Security Guard who was killed while defusing a grenade at the scene of the terror attack at Pathankot IAF base, was brought to Bengaluru from where it was to be taken to his hometown Palakkad in Kerala. Teary-eyed people filed past the body as the martyr's family members sat near it.
"He was always interested in the army. I am proud of his sacrifice," Niranjan's father Sivarajan said. Niranjan's sister said, "I look at him as Arjuna who fought for his karmabhoomi." He hailed from Palakkad in Kerala and is survived by his wife Dr Radhika and a 18-month-old daughter. Fellow army officers and many prominent and eminent personalities paid tributes to the martyr at his residence.
Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
Not only this, in probably a first, the elite commando force NSG has recommended its dog Rocket for military gallantry medal for his role in eliminating terrorists who attacked the Pathankot air base early this year. The specially trained canine has been recommended for a Sena medal.
The two-and-a-half-year-old Belgian Malinois dog and his handler have been recommended for bravery decoration by the National Security Guard headquarters for displaying “raw courage and dedication to duty” in the face of extreme threat and danger as reported by the PTI. Rocket had walked into a burning airmen billet on the direction of his master and brought back a pouch that indicated presence of militants inside.
While there have been few instances when Army dogs have been honoured with military medals, this is the first for NSG which was established in 1984 as the federal contingency force. Army dogs have shown grit determination in par with their handlers in the face of enemy.
Rocket is an assault dog that hunts for people in hiding, but is also trained to sniff out explosives. Dogs like Rocket are paid between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 a month, which is spent on their food and medical expenses. Decorated dogs continue to get their salaries after retirement.
While the elite counter-terror and counter-hijack force has not given a name to the operation till now like 'Op Black Tornado' for the 26/11 Mumbai task, the force for the first time lost an officer from its bomb disposal squad.
Thirty-four-year-old Lt Col and Group Captain Niranjan was heading the unit, they said, and was trying to clear and sanitise the body of a terrorist and the surrounding area when a cleverly concealed grenade blew up fatally injuring the officer and five others.
The highly decorated officer was immediately taken to hospital where he breathed his last. He is the 19th martyr of the force which was raised in 1984 for special operations and as a federal contingency force for India.
"He was part of the first team that went to Pathankot on Friday as there were inputs that the terrorists are carrying huge explosives. Niranjan and his bomb disposal men were tasked to aid the fighting units.
"He joined NSG in May, 2014 on deputation from the Engineers Regiment of the Army which he joined in 2004. He was a dare-devil officer and had been part of a special training with the FBI in the US in combating IEDs and deadly explosives a few months ago," one of Niranjan's commando course colleague said, while refusing to be identified.
The NSG had called the officer's martyrdom as an act bearing "exemplary courage and utmost devotion to duty". Seven security personnel and six terrorists have been killed in the attack.
[14] Shashank, the brother of Lieutenant Col. E.K. Niranjan who lost his life during the Pathankot airbase attack, on Sunday said the family felt proud after hearing that the latter will be conferred with 'Shaurya Chakra', the third highest gallantry medal, for his sacrifice. "We were expecting. Today is the day where we inaugurated his memorial which was prepared by my dad with that we got to know this news; it's really wonderful for us. It's a proud moment for us," he told ANI. Ahead of Independence Day, President Pranab Mukherjee has approved 82 gallantry awards to the armed forces personnel and members of the paramilitary forces which include one Ashok Chakra, 14 Shaurya Chakras, 63 Sena Medals (Gallantry), two Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry) and two Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry). Captain Pawan Kumar, Captain Tushar Mahajan of 9 Para Special Forces who lost their lives during the Pampore attack are also among the recipients. Havildar Hangpan Dada of 35 Rashtriya Rifles (posthumous), who eliminated three terrorists and injured one during an encounter in Nugam sector of Jammu and Kashmir, has been awarded Ashoka Chakra, the highest peace time gallantry award. (ANI)
[15] Lt. Colonel Niranjan of the NSG’s bomb disposal squad made the supreme sacrifice in the ongoing Pathankot terror attacks. The braveheart is survived by an 18-month-old daughter and a wife. It’s not hard to imagine how tough a soldier’s life is but Indian politicians have failed to uphold the valour of our men on the border time and again. Here’s a letter penned by Lt. Colonel Niranjan’s batchmate that will make you think hard about the state of pain our soldiers live in.
Letter From Lt. Col Niranjan’s Batchmate © OneIndia
"R.I.P Lt Col Niranjan Ek.
My Coursemate, my Sutta Pal, Barrack-Type and Punishment-Type. Wish I could turn back the clock for you, Moron!
I would have ensured that instead of CDSE you would have cleared your Civil Services Exam. Your daughter would have had a father to watch her grow up. Your wife would have had a husband to grow old with. And you would never had had to fight to get a decent pension (Not that you would have needed one – everyone knows the price of a Babu’s signature).
I wish that you had not been a warrior, a leader of men and a guardian of an ungrateful nation. I wish you had been a pen-pushing Babu who charged you just for doing his job. I wish that you had not been an Officer And A Gentleman earning a hardship allowance of Rs.32000 in Siachen. Instead you should have been a blood-sucking Babu earning Rs.72000 HARDSHIP ALLOWANCE for enjoying the salubrious climes of Shillong or Guwahati. Or I wish that you had been a Corporate Honcho, who earns thrice your salary for doing one-fourth of what you do. I wish that you had been an AAM AADMI for whom nothing matters beyond the next increment,the next mobile phone or the next vehicle that he is going to buy.
I wish that you had been anything except what you chose to become – A Real Man, A Professional Soldier, A Leader Of Men, A True Son Of This Ungrateful Nation, Sworn to protect it at all cost. I Wish…I Wish… But You Are No Longer There…. So I can only pray that in your next life, you decide to do something worthwhile. Something… Anything…. Just Don’t Repeat The Mistakes You Made In This One..
R.I.P Brother… We’ll Meet In The Afterlife”
Now stop whatever you are doing and, for a minute, think what you have done for your country. Wednesday, November 4, 2009 • Telugu
The 1.5-minute film is written and directed by Reji Nair, who wrote the screenplay for Mammootty-starrer Pattalam.
Lt Col. Niranjan was trying to defuse the explosives from a dead terrorist’s body when it went off taking his own life during the terror strike on the Pathankot IAF base.
“The focal point of the film is the message of humanity Niranjan sent out while dealing with the terrorist’s body. He wanted to defuse the explosive because the terrorist was also a human being,” says Nair.
It also depicts the courage shown by Lt Col. Niranjan before an imminent death to fight for the country. “The film is shot also as a tribute the Indian Army,” he said. Reji Nair also has plans to send this short film to international anti-war film festivals. The 1.5-minute film is written and directed by Reji Nair, who wrote the screenplay for Mammootty-starrer Pattalam
Lt Col. Niranjan was trying to defuse the explosives from a dead terrorist’s body when it went off taking his own life during the terror strike on the Pathankot IAF base.
“The focal point of the film is the message of humanity Niranjan sent out while dealing with the terrorist’s body. He wanted to defuse the explosive because the terrorist was also a human being,” says Nair.
It also depicts the courage shown by Lt Col. Niranjan before an imminent death to fight for the country. “The film is shot also as a tribute the Indian Army,” he said. Reji Nair also has plans to send this short film to international anti-war film festivals. [17]
Personal life
editElambulassery Kalarikkal Niranjan, better known as Niranjan E K, was born on 2 May 1981 in Palakkad district of Kerala, as the second son of E K Shivarajan and Radha Shivaranjan.[18] Since his father was working in Bharat Electronics Limited in Karnataka, Niranjan grew up in Bangalore with his 3 siblings. He married Dr. Radhika K G in 2013 and the couple has a daughter.[19]
Education
editNiranjan did his schooling at Stella Mary's school and BP Indian Public school in Bangalore. He graduated from Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology with an Engineering Degree. He joined Officers Training Academy Chennai in 2003 and was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers in 2004.[20]
Military career
editIn 2004 Niranjan was Commissioned into the Indian Army Corps of Engineers. He served in various units located at Udhampur, Vairangty Gate(Mizoram), Ranchi, and Srinagar. In 2014 he opted for National Security Guards and joined a Bomb Disposal Unit and subsequently became its Commanding officer.[21]
Death
editDuring the 2016 Pathankot attack, Niranjan and his Bomb Disposal Team were launched to undertake Render Safe Procedure(RSP) and Post Blast Operations Analysis. The thick vegetation and undulating terrain made the task very challenging. The presence of grenades and other explosive devices rendered the approach to the dead bodies of the slain soldiers extremely difficult. Niranjan led from the front and effectively handled two dead bodies after neutralizing the booby traps. With utter disregard to his own life Lt Col Niranjan continued to carry out the area sanitation during which a booby trap got activated. Lt Col Niranjan absorbed most of the splinters, hence screening his comrades behind him. Lt Col Niranjan later succumbed to his injuries and was martyred.[22][23]
Shaurya Chakra
editOn 15 August 2016, Niranjan was awarded Shaurya Chakra posthumously, India's 3rd highest gallantry award during peacetime, for his bravery, indomitable spirit, and sacrifice.[24]
References
edit- ^ "Pathankot NSG martyr Lt Col Niranjan E K gets Shaurya Chakra on the eve of Independence Day". The Economic Times. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ "Lt.Col. Niranajan followed all safety procedures while defusing bomb: Army chief Bomb disposal expert Niranjan died when an explosive planted on the body of a terrorist". Mathrubhumi. January 13, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ Dixit, Rekha (February 7, 2021). "Scars and sketches: Indian war heroes are being resurrected in graphic novels". The Week. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ Bharadwaj, K. V. Aditya. "Family struggling with Niranjan's death". The Hindu. Bengaluru. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ Balakrishnan, Deepa (January 5, 2016). "News 18 Lt Col E K Niranjan's body brought to Bengaluru, his family says he always wanted to don the uniform". CNN-IBN. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
Seven security personnel have been killed in the attacks and several others have been injured.
- ^ "Lt Col EK Niranjan was careless, says The Telegraph op-ed. Panned on internet". Retrieved April 4, 2021.
"Embers of the martyrs' funeral pyres hasn't cooled yet," says a Facebook post, reacting to Martyr's rites op-ed on The Telegraph, Calcutta. January 8, 2016
- ^ "Thousands Pay Respect To NSG Commando Niranjan E.K". Odisha News Insight. January 4, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
Thousands of people paid tributes to martyred National Security Guard (NSG) commando Lieutenant Colonel Niranjan E.K.
- ^ "Lt Colonel Niranjan's body brought to Bengaluru". rediff.com . January 4, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ Thomas, Bellie. "Niranjan Inspired his Brother Sharath to Join Forces". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ PTI (August 23, 2016). "What NSG Chief Called IED In DRDO Was Actually A Bomb From World War II". ScoopWhoop. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ "Nation unites in paying tribute to slain security personnel". ZeeNews. January 5, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ Sandhu, Kamaljit Kaur (February 8, 2017). "NSG names new auditorium after braveheart who lost life in Pathankot attack". India Today. Manesar. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
The elite commando force inaugurated a new auditorium that is named after Lt. Col. EK NIranjan who lost his life during last year's Pathankot terror attack.
- ^ "Pathankot attack: 300 NSG commandos use MP-5 assault rifles, Glock pistols, corner-shot guns to combat terrorists half-a-dozen sniffer dogs from the canine (K 9) squad along with their handlers have also been pressed into service by the NSG". News 18. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ "Martyred Lt. Col. E.K. Niranjan's family delighted over 'Shaurya Chakra'". ANI. Bengaluru: ANI, Yahoo!. 14 August 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ Prasher, Shantanu (May 1, 2016). "This Letter From Lt. Col Niranjan's Batchmate Will Make You Feel The Pain Of Our Soldiers". mensxp.com ·. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ "Short film on final moments of Colonel E K Niranjan". Deccan Chronicle. January 15, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ "Pathankot NSG martyr Lt Col Niranjan E K gets Shaurya Chakra on the eve of Independence Day". India Times. indiatimes.com. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "NSG names new auditorium after braveheart who lost life in Pathankot attack". India Today. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Pathankot attack: 'I'm on operation' were Colonel Niranjan Kumar's last words to father". Asian Age. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "8 Facts You Need To Know About Martyr NSG Commando Lt. Colonel Niranjan Kumar". India Times. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ Staff Reporter (October 25, 2017). "Niranjan's family yet to recover from shock". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Lt Col Niranjan". Government of India, National Security Guards. October 5, 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ Gokhale, Nitin A (September 27, 2019). Securing India the Modi Way: Balakot, Anti Satellite Missile Test and More (E-book). (n.p.): Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 176. ISBN 9789389449273.
- ^ "LT COL NIRANJAN EK Shaurya Chakra(Posthumous)". Gallantry Awards. Ministry of Defense, Government of India. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ Bhagyalakshmi. "'The little boy whom I had protected in school opted for the NSG'". The Hindu. BENGALURU. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
[[:Category:Military personnel from Kerala]] [[:Category:Attacks on military installations]] [[:Category:Crime in Punjab, India]] [[:Category:Mass murder in 2016]] [[:Category:Mass shootings in India]] [[:Category:Pathankot district]] [[:Category:Terrorist incidents in India in 2016]] [[:Category:Indian military personnel by state or union territory]] [[:Category:People from Kerala by occupation]] [[:Category:1981 births]] [[:Category:2016 deaths]]