The mortal remains of Indian Army soldier Palani, who was killed in a “violent stand-off” with the Chinese Army in Galwan Valley, was laid to rest at his native village Kadukalur in Ramanathapuram with full military honours on Thursday.
Palani was among 20 Indian Army personnel who died in a bloody faceoff with the People’s Liberation Army of China at Galwan in Ladakh on Monday night.
The body, which was air-lifted from Chandigarh, reached Madurai airport on Wednesday night.
Paying tributes, military officers, senior bureaucrats and elected representatives laid wreaths following which the body was taken to the native village past midnight.
The body was handed over to his kin and was taken to Kadakalur by road. Hundreds of people were waiting to receive the hero’s body in his village at night.
Hundreds of people participated in the funeral procession despite the norm that not more than 20 people should participate in final rites due to the restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Ramanathapuram district collector M Veera Raghava Rao handed over a cheque for Rs 20 lakh to martyr’s widow, Vanathidevi. The Tamil Nadu government had announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh and a government job to Palani’s family.
