A farewell much deserved: Sindhurakshak officials get guard of honour

Thiruvananthapuram/

, Sept 4: Even weeks after the Sindhurakshak disaster on August 14, the wounds of the family members of the dead are still raw, refusing to heal. The navy too mourns the death of its team aboard, leave apart the regret that they have lost one of India's pet and costliest projects.

Saturday, 31 August; guns fired and a cry for salutes heard, the martyrs were bid adieu with military honour. In Kerala, it was chief minister Oommen Chandy who received the bodies of two native Navy men-Liju Lawrence of Thiruvananthapuram and Vishnu Viswambaran of Alappuzha district. Sacrificing their lives on the line of duty, these men were onboard the ill-fated submarine.

Kerala CM Oommen Chandy received the bodies of Liju Lawrence and Vishnu Viswamba

Some of the other disgnitaries attending the function were Health Minister V. S. Sivakumar, District Collector K.N. Satheesh and Ex-Service Men Corporation president Captain P.K.R. Nair.

The sobriety of the gun salute was similar in West Bengal too where Navyman Malay Haldar was cremated with military honours in Durgapur on Saturday morning. After initial cremation ceremony at Durgapur's DPL colony, the body was taken to Birvananpur burning ghat and cremated with full honour.