PALAKKAD: The entire Kottayi panchayat mourned the loss of jawan Sreejith M J, who was killed in an ambush by Hizb-ul Mujahideen militants at Shopian in Jammu and Kashmir two days back.
The body of the 27-year-old sapper of 44, Rashtriya Rifles, was cremated with full state honours in the compound of his ancestral house Kalathil Tharavad at Paruthipully near Kottayi in the district. Shops and commercial establishments in Kottayi panchayat downed their shutters between 10am and 1pm to honour their fallen son. Shops in Peringottukurissi panchayat were also closed from 8am to 9am as per the decision of the local unit of Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi.
Before cremation at 11am, Sreejith’s body was kept at ALP School, Paruthipully (his old school), where hundreds of people queued up with tears in their eyes to pay their respects. The entire town was sad. But Sreejith’s mother Ushakumari and sister Sreeja were inconsolable.
Sreejith was given a gun salute by police at 10.10am. Industries Minister A C Moideen placed the wreath on the soldier’s still body on behalf of the state government. M B Rajesh MP, MLAs K Babu, K D Prasenan, V T Balram, Shafi Parambil and Mohammed Mohsin, District Collector P Marykutty, Assistant Collector N S K Umesh and police officers also paid their respects.
The convoy carrying Sreejith’s body had reached his ancestral house at 10.10pm on Friday. A special plane had brought the body to Coimbatore airport, from where Collector P Marykutty and SP Pratheesh Kumar accompanied it to the house. Commanding officer of the Madhukara 44 Field regiment SS Arya led a 30-member team of army personnel to Sreejith’s house. Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar also visited the house and consoled the family when the body was brought home.