Siachen hero’s funeral today with full state honours

Mangalore Today News Network

Dharwad, Feb 12, 2016, DHNS: The funeral of Lance Naik Hanmanthappa Koppad, who died in Delhi on Thursday after being pulled out alive from an avalanche in Siachen, will be held at the land adjacent to the gram panchayat office in Betadur on Friday.

Dharwad Deputy Commissioner Rajendra Cholan told reporters that this was decided after consulting his family and village elders. The fallen solider would be given a state funeral, for which a team of 20 soldiers from the Maratha Light Infantry Regimental Centre from Belagavi will arrive.

The mortal remains of Hanmanthappa arrived at the Hubballi airport at around 10.30 pm, and was received by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Later, the body was kept at the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) mortuary.

 

The district administration has also made preparations for people to pay their final respects to Koppad at the Nehru Stadium in Hubballi from 7 am on Friday and at Betadur Government High School after 11.30 am. The body of Koppad will be taken in a procession from Hubballi to his home village.