Team News Riveting
Raigarh, November 15
The mortal remains of Colonel Viplav Tripathi, wife Anuja and son Abeer reached Raigarh Monday afternoon in a special Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft.
The Colonel, his family and four jawans of the 46 Assam Rifles were martyred on Saturday when People’s Liberation Army (PLA) guerrillas ambushed the convoy in Manipur’s Churachandpur district along the Indo-Myanmar border. The officer was returning from the inspection of the forward post.
Colonel Viplav hailed from Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district. His father Subhash Tripathi is a senior journalist while his younger brother is also serving the Nation as an Indian Army officer.
The entire town was in a shock soon after getting the news and was earlier waiting for the bodies of the entire family. The bodies were supposed to reach Raigarh on Sunday but the Indian Army plane that was carrying the mortal remains of Viplav had to make an emergency landing in Assam’s Jorhat.
The Ministry of Defence’s public relations officer (PRO) in Guwahati said the plane made an emergency landing at Jorhat airport due to a technical snag. The bodies were kept overnight in Jorhat. The IAF plane today morning took off from Jorhat.
As the plane touched down the Raigarh airstrip, a pall of gloom descended on a mammoth gathering mobilised on the spot. People could not control the emotion when three coffins were carried from the aircraft that were kept for the people to pay their respect.
Raigarh Member of Parliament Gomati Sai and Chhattisgarh Minister Umesh Patel besides other public representatives and officials paid their homage.
The bodies were taken to the residence of Viplav and the last rites were expected to be performed in the evening.
The IAF Chopper carrying the bodies lands in Raigarh
