Lt Col Niranjan EK SC

Lt Col Elambulassery Kalarikkal Niranjan was born on 02 May 1981 in Palghat district of Kerala. Lt Col Niranjan’s ancestors hailed from a village called, Elambulassery in Palghat district and they belonged to Kalarikkal lineage. Son of Shri Chandra Shivrajan and Smt Radha Shivrajan, Lt Col Niranjan grew up with his two brothers and a sister in Bangalore where his father was employed in Bharat Electronics Limited.  He studied from Stella Mary’s school Bangalore up to 3rd standard and then went on to complete his matriculation from BP Indian Public school Bangalore. Thereafter he did his PU degree from BEL PU composite college Bangalore and then his degree in engineering from Sir MVIT college Bangalore.

He always nursed the idea of joining the Army since his childhood and worked towards his dream form his younger days. His joy knew no bounds when he got selected in the Army and joined OTA Chennai in Sep 2003. He got commissioned into the Corps of Engineers on 17 Sep 2004 and was posted to 10 Engineers Regiment at Tezpur in Assam. Subsequently, Lt Col Niranjan served in various units located at Udhampur, Vairangty Gate(Mizoram), Ranchi and Srinagar in J & K. Later he went on deputation to the elite NSG and worked in its Bomb Disposal Squad.

Lt Col Niranjan got married to Dr Radhika KG on 31 Mar 2013 and was blessed with a daughter Vismaya on 04 Apr 2015. On joining the NSG, Lt Col Niranjan got inducted into the Bomb Disposal Squad and became the officer commanding of the unit on 24 May 2014.

IAF Base Attack: 01 Jan 2016

On 01 January 2016, the Air Force Station Pathankot of the Indian Air Force was attacked by a heavily armed terrorist group. Disguised in Indian Army uniforms the terrorists infiltrated the base, after breaching the station security perimeter.  They advanced towards the area where the high-value assets were kept but were soon intercepted by the Indian security forces. In the ensuing 15-hour gun battle, 4 attackers and two soldiers from the Defence Security Corps were killed along with one commando of the elite IAF’s special Guard unit.

The following morning, the Bomb Disposal Team under the leadership of Lt Col Niranjan was launched to undertake Render Safe Procedure(RSP) and Post Blast Operations Analysis(PBOA). Lt Col Niranjan led his team by example in motivating them to do the assigned task. The thick vegetation and undulating terrain made the task very challenging. The presence of grenades and other explosive devices rendered the approach to the dead bodies of the slain soldiers extremely difficult.  However, nothing could stop Lt Col Niranjan and his team and they swung into action with the utmost courage and exemplary professional acumen. Lt Col Niranjan led from the front and effectively handled two dead bodies after neutralizing the booby traps.

With utter disregard to his own life Lt Col Niranjan continued to carry out the area sanitation during which a booby trap got activated. Lt Col Niranjan absorbed most of the splinters, hence screening his comrades behind him. Lt Col Niranjan later succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. For his act of bravery, indomitable spirit and sacrifice Lt Col Niranjan EK was awarded “Shaurya Chakra” posthumously on 15 August 2016.

Lt Col Niranjan EK is survived by his father Shri Chandra Shivrajan. mother Smt Radha Shivrajan, wife Smt Radhika KG and daughter Vismaya.

The citation for Shaurya  Chakra awarded to him reads:

Lt Col Niranjan EK, SC (Posthumous) commanded the elite Bomb Disposal Unit, National Security Guard from 24 May 2014 to 03 Jan 2016. On 01 Jan 2016, the Bomb Disposal Team ex Bomb Disposal Unit, National Security Guard, under the leadership of Lt Col Niranjan EK, SC(Posthumous) was launched for Pathankot Ops. The team mandated to perform Render Safe Procedure (RSP) and Post Blast Operations Analysis (PBOA), was immediately tasked to execute area sanitization and recovery of dead bodies post neutralizing of all terrorists by 51 SAG.

The thickly vegetated area and the undulating ground made the task more challenging. The presence of grenades and explosive devices rendered the approach to dead bodies extremely difficult. However, nothing could stop the brave hearts of our NSG BD team and Lt Col Niranjan EK, SC (posthumous) led by example in motivating the team to execute the impending task in the face of the enemy. The officer effectively handled two dead bodies after neutralizing the booby traps and deadman switches from the bodies. With utter disregard to his own life, the officer continued to carry out area sanitization during which a booby trap got activated. Lt Col Niranjan EK, SC (posthumous) absorbed most of the splinters, hence screening the men behind him from injuries. In the gallant act, the officer finally succumbed to his injuries thus saving the lives of 05 personnel of the team.

Subsequently, the gallant act of the officer and supreme sacrifice made by him ensured safe passage for the intervening troops to complete the operation successfully leading to neutralization of two more terrorists. Without his supreme sacrifice, the actual casualties that could have occurred can only be left to our imagination. For this conspicuous act of bravery, unparalleled dedication in the line of duty, indomitable courage of the highest order in the face of the enemy and exemplary leadership skills Lieutenant Colonel Niranjan EK was awarded “SHAURYA CHAKRA”(Posthumous) on 15 Aug 2016.

• Lt Col Niranjan’s body was flown from Bengaluru to Palakkad by chopper. The Chief Minister of Kerala Mr Oommen Chandy and other ministers also paid their last respects. His funeral was conducted  with full military honours and a gun salute.

• Lt Col Niranjan was given a befitting tribute by the armed forces along with his widow, K.G. Radhika. His body was shifted to a local school, where people paid floral tributes to the brave officer. His body was moved in an armoured truck while motorcyclists and civilians followed as a mark of respect. The village and nearby areas put up banners and wore badges to honour the officer.

• “My son always wanted to join the army since his childhood… I am very proud that he has done his job well,” said his father, Mr Sivarajan.

• Shashankan E.K., his younger brother, said that the family was broken, but they were also proud that he had served the country. “He was so stylish and smart. We always joked that he would have made it big in films if he had not chosen to become a soldier. Today, he lies in a coffin,” he said.

• “He was always jovial and cared for us a lot. He loved his daughter a lot. From his young age, he was very passionate about joining the armed forces. We feel proud he has died serving the nation, but we have lost someone precious,” his brother said.

• Sanal K, one of Lt Col Niranjan’s pre-university classmates at BEL College said, “He was a jovial guy and loved to bat, but once he used to slip into his NCC uniform he would be transformed”.

• “It is motivating for us to see so many people are coming forward to pay respect to the soldier. We want to stand by the family and support them in every way possible,” said Major General KS Nijjar.

• “We are here to salute this brave Martyr. I remember Lt Col Niranjan Kumar for three qualities. He was a man who knew no fear and was exceptionally brave. He topped his bomb disposal course in NSG and was selected for training in the U.S. He was a brilliant mind and always led by example. It’s a big loss to me and NSG.” Maj General M Chandy said.

• Home Minister Rajnath Singh mourned his death on Twitter: “Pained to know about the demise of Lt. Col. Niranjan of NSG during mopping out operations at Pathankot. The nation salutes his sacrifice”.

• C Vinod, a villager, said, “We all knew that there was a young pattalakkaran (army man) at Kalarikkal. But we did not know he was a Lt Col who worked with the elite NSG.”

AN ARTICLE ON LT COL E K NIRANJAN SC

I. It was a day when the nation woke up to the shocking news of an attack on a premier Air Force Base of Western Air Command at Pathankot on the early morning of 1st January 2016 by a group of heavily armed terrorists after breaching the Station’s security perimeter. The battle that followed and the subsequent sanitization of the theatre of operation saw an end to the life of all the terrorists and martyrdom of seven heroic soldiers. Among these brave hearts included the tragic loss of life of a young FBI trained and an IED render safe specialist officer – Lieutenant Colonel E K Niranjan.

2.  Lieutenant Colonel E K Niranjan was the head of NSG’s elite bomb disposal squad. He was the officer commanding the unit from 24 May 14 till his martyrdom on 03 Jan 2016. On 01 Jan 2016, the Bomb Disposal Team, under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel E K Niranjan, was launched to undertake Render Safe Procedure (RSP) and Post Blast Operations Analysis (PBOA) post-neutralization of all terrorists by 51 SAG. Lieutenant Colonel E K Niranjan led the team by example in motivating them to execute the impending task. The team displayed exemplary professional acumen, utmost courage while carrying out RSP to sanitize the area of operation.

3.  The thickly vegetated area and the undulating ground made the task more challenging. The presence of grenades and explosive devices rendered the approach to dead bodies extremely difficult. However, nothing could stop the brave hearts of the NSG BD team and Lieutenant Colonel E K Niranjan led by example in motivating the team to execute the impending task in the face of the enemy. The officer effectively handled two dead bodies after neutralizing the booby traps and deadman switches from the bodies. With utter disregard to his own life, the officer continued to carry out area sanitization during which a booby trap got activated. Lieutenant Colonel E K Niranjan absorbed most of the splinters, hence screening the men behind him from injuries. In the gallant act, the officer finally succumbed to his injuries thus saving the lives of five personnel of the team. For this conspicuous act of bravery, unparalleled dedication in the line of duty, indomitable courage of highest order in the face of the enemy and exemplary leadership skills, Lieutenant Colonel E K Niranjan was awarded “SHAURYA CHAKRA” (Posthumous) on 15 Aug 2016.

4. Lieutenant Colonel E K Niranjan was born on 02 May 1981 in Palghat district of Kerala. His ancestors hailed from a village called Elambulassery in Palghat, Kerala and they belonged to the Kalarikkal lineage. This was how the officer and the entire family lineage to which he belonged have E K as their surname. His father, Shri E K Shivarajan, was a graduate in Mechanical Engineering and worked in Bharat Electronics, Bangalore till his retirement. He was the second youngest of the four siblings of his family and perhaps the most liked after because of his chubbiness and innocence. As his family was settled in Bangalore, Lieutenant Colonel E K Niranjan grew up along with his two brothers and a sister at Bangalore.

5. Lieutenant Colonel E K Niranjan studied up to the Third standard at Stella Mary’s school, Vayalikaval Bangalore. Thereafter, he was shifted to BP Indian Public School, Malleshwaram, Bangalore from where he completed his matriculation. He did his pre-degree at BEL Pre-University Composite College, Bangalore and then completed his Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical branch at Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology (Sir MVIT), Bangalore.

6. As a kid, he was extremely naughty and restless. He was never the one to sit at home. His day used to begin from moving from one locality to another till he used to reach home for lunch. He was loved by all in the neighborhood. He was fond of food and the neighbors were more than happy to feed him.

7. Lieutenant Colonel E K Niranjan had the unique ability to make friends with anybody and had a good friend circle. He was a good player of sports and was always depended upon as a quality player to represent their team – be it cricket, football, volleyball or basketball.

8. From the beginning, Lieutenant Colonel E K Niranjan was passionate about joining the Indian Army and would always say that his ambition was to join the Indian Army. It was a proud moment for him and his family when he got commissioned to the Indian Army through the University Entry scheme on 17 Sep 2004. He underwent his training at Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai in the Madras Engineering Group Regiment from Sep 2003 to Sep 2004. He was initially posted to 10 Engineers Regiment, Tezpur and then was subsequently posted to 10 Engineers Regiment – Udhampur, deputation to Border Roads – Mizoram, deputation to Ranchi and then a tenure at 15 Core of Engineers, Srinagar prior to his deputation to the Bomb Disposal Squad, NSG, Manesar.

Place                             Period    ( From To)               Total period

Tezpur                         17 Sep 04 15 Dec 06              27 Months
Udhampur                 16 Dec 06 07 Jan 08             13 Months
Vairangty Gate          08 Jan 08 31 Jul 10                30 Months
Ranchi                        01 Aug 10 24 May 12              22 Months
Srinagar                      25 May 12 23 May 14             24 Months
BD Unit,
New Delhi                  24 May 14 02 Jan 2016        19 months

9. Lieutenant Colonel E K Niranjan was married to Mrs. Radhika KG on 31 Mar 2013 and was blessed with a daughter on 04 Apr 2015. The officer has left a rich legacy for his 18 months old daughter to look upon, she is the proud daughter of a daring and patriotic soldier.