THRISSUR: The mortal remains of Indian Air Force Junior Warrant Officer A Pradeep, who was killed along with Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat in the helicopter crash at Coonoor on December 8, were brought to his house at Ponnookara in Thrissur district on Saturday afternoon.
The mortal remains were taken from Delhi to Sulur Air Base in Coimbatore at 11 am. Union minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan boarded the special flight transporting the mortal remains from Palam airport in Delhi. T N Pratapan paid tributes to the martyr at Sulur Air Base.
The procession carrying the mortal remains was received by the Kerala government at Walayar. Ministers K Krishnankutty, K Radhakrishnan and A Rajan paid homage to Pradeep. Scores of cars carrying ministers and elected representatives are escorting the ambulance carrying the mortal remains.
The body of Pradeep will be kept at Puthur Government HS, his alma mater at 2 pm. The funeral will be held on the premises of his house at 5.30 pm. The son of Radhakrishnan and Kumari of Arakkal House, 37-year-old Pradeep had joined the Indian Air Force in 2004. He is married to Sreelakshmi and the couple have two children -- Dajshan Dev, 5, and Deva Prayag, 2.
Pradeep had served various units of the Air Force and had participated in the anti-naxal operation in Chhattisgarh. He was also involved in flood rescue operations in Uttarakhand in 2013 and in Kerala in 2018. He had visited the family a week ago to celebrate the birthday of his son and had accompanied his father to a hospital for treatment. The tragedy occurred four days after he resumed duty.
Pradeep’s father Radhakrishnan has been admitted to the ICU of a private hospital in Thrissur and his condition is critical. Family members said he has been informed about Pradeep’s demise.