Thousands turn up to bid goodbye to Kerala soldier who died 56 years ago

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 4 (IANS) Thousands of people in Elanthur in Pathanamthitta district on Friday filed passed the body of Thomas Cherian, a Malayali soldier who died in a plane crash 56 years ago.

Those who paid their last respects included ministers and top politicians of all parties, former Defence officers besides the local populace who came out in large numbers.

The entire funeral arrangements, barring the religious rites, was controlled by the Madras Regiment which had on Thursday collected the body which came from Chandigarh on a special IAF flight at the air force base in the state capital city.

On Friday morning at 6.30 A.M. the body was taken in a fully-decked Army vehicle and enroute to his residence in Pathanamthitta, numerous people lined up on either sides of the road and at certain places the local police station also had made arrangements to bid him a final goodbye.

Once the remains reached his hometown in Elanthur, the body was received by his siblings and was taken to the residence of his brother where numerous people were waiting.

At the house, the Christian priests led the prayers and from there it was taken to the St George Orthodox Church, the home parish of Cherian.

After the customary prayers led by Metropolitan Kuriakose Mar Clemis and numerous priests from various Churches, the Army gave a final guard of honour.

The home parish of Cherian also played its role and decided to honour him by allotting him a special grave in the cemetery.

Cherian joined the Indian Army at the age of 22 in 1968 and after finishing his training, was asked to join his posting at Leh.

However, the ill-fated Indian Air Force Antonov-12 aircraft went missing on February 7, 1968, while on a flight from Chandigarh to Leh which was carrying 102 personnel, including IAF officers, soldiers, and civilians.

After encountering severe weather conditions near Rohtang Pass, the aircraft lost contact and vanished in the harsh, snowbound terrain.

For decades, the wreckage remained hidden until 2003, when mountaineers from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering stumbled upon parts of the plane, igniting a series of recovery missions.

However, by 2019, after several expeditions only five bodies had been retrieved.

Last week, the remains of Cherian were discovered by a joint team comprising personnel from the Dogra Scouts of the Indian Army and the Tiranga Mountain Rescue as part of the ongoing Chandra Bhaga mountain expedition.

Had Cherian been alive today, he would have been 78-years-old. His parents passed away several years ago mourning the loss of their young son.