THRISSUR: The mortal remains of Junior Warrant Officer (JWO) Pradeep Arakkal, who died in the Mi-17V5 helicopter crash on Wednesday in which India's first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat also lost his life, were consigned to flames on Saturday with full military and state honours at Ponnoorkkara near Puthur in the district.
Thousands of people from various walks of life thronged the government higher secondary school, Puthur to pay their last respects to the departed junior warrant officer, who had studied in the same school, after the body was brought there in the afternoon. A large number of people had also assembled at Pradeep’s house at Ponnoorkkara, despite persistent efforts to reduce crowding in the small residential compound. A team of about 70 IAF officials led by Air Vice Marshal B V Upadhyay VM had come to Thrissur to take part in Pradeep’s funeral.
Even when tearfully paying their last respects to the brave member of IAF who lost his life while performing his official duty, many of those assembled appeared to be sharing a sense of pride. This pride seemed to stem from the fact that a youth from a humble background and remote village could rise to the stature of being selected to be part of the helicopter crew accompanying the chief of defence staff. The only assets that Pradeep who is the son of a small farmer possessed to get elevated to this stature were his dedication, hard work and pleasing nature, recalled some of those who had assembled.
There were several particularly moving moments during the funeral. One such occasion was when Pradeep’s ailing father Radhakrishnan was brought near his son’s coffin. Radhakrishnan, who was on artificial oxygen support at home, was informed about the death of his son only on Saturday. He was seen trying hard to control his sobs. His agony was further aggravated when he realised that he couldn’t even see the face of his son as the coffin was not opened and was taken to the funeral pyre. Radhakrishnan made one of his relatives lift Pradeep’s two-year-old daughter Devaprayaga so that he can give a kiss on her cheeks.
“It is an irreparable loss to the family, but Pradeep died while working for the country and we have to bear it,’’ Radhakrishnan later told the relatives.
Most of those present were unable to control their tears and looked away when Pradeep’s seven-year-old son Dakshindev lit the funeral pyre. The boy was seen shivering apparently because he was in wet clothes as part of rituals and was evidently obeying the instructions without knowing their full significance. Pradeep’s wife Sreelakshmi was sitting near the coffin in a numb state. His mother Kumari wailed as she bowed before the coffin. Prasad, the JWO’s brother, was seen trying hard to control his emotions as he was partaking in the funeral rituals holding Dakshindev.
Even though hundreds of people had thronged to watch the funeral, a pin-drop silence prevailed when final rituals began.
Earlier, the body was bought from Delhi to Sulur on a special aircraft. Union minister of state V Muraleedharan had accompanied it. The body was received there by Thrissur MP T N Pathapan and was brought to Thrissur via road. Ministers K Rajan, K Radhakrishnan, K Krishnankutty and R Bindu as well district collector Haritha V Kumar and city police commissioner R Aadithya were among those who received the body at the state border Walayar. Hundreds of people had lined up on the sides of the road to pay their last respects to Pradeep, as the funeral procession proceeded to Puthur.
