Thousands thronged Gudigere in Maddur for the last rites of Karnataka’s slain CRPF trooper H Guru , which was held with military honours in his native Gudigere in Mandya district. Villagers recalled fondly that Guru who was in the village last week would never return alive.

Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who was present for the last rites ceremony, honoured the martyr by leading in wreath laying ceremony  announced a financial aid of Rs 25 lakh for the family of the slain CRPF personnel. “The state government will give an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh to the family of the trooper, who laid down his life for the country,” Kumaraswamy announced.

His remains arrived from New Delhi to Bengaluru’s HAL Airport in a special aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The tri-coloured cortege with Guru’s body was lowered from the IAF’s AN-32 transport aircraft at the state-run HAL airport in the city and  was driven in a flower-bedecked military truck to Gudigere village in Mandya, about 100 km from the city.

Tousands thronged the Highway to pay tributes as along the way, the convoy was stopped several times delaying the funeral by over two hours. Thousands of people paid their tributes to the slain soldier along the way.

Constable  Guru, 33, was among the 49 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers who died on Thursday near Awantipora in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district in a terror attack on a bus in which they were travelling in a convoy to Srinagar from Jammu.

Guru’s family members, including wife Kalavathi, father Honnaiah, mother Chikka Thayamma, younger brothers Madhu and Anand were inconsolable over his sudden death. Hours beforre the blast on 14th February , Guru had spoken to his mother but  an hour later the shocking news shattered the family.

The Chief Minister has assured the bereaved family of providing a government job to Guru’s widow Kalavathi and compensation for his supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation.

Guru joined the CRPF in 2011 after serving in Jharkhand as part of the 94th Battalion. Guru belonged to the 82nd Battalion of the CRPF and was posted in Srinagar. He had spent fifteen days at his home in Gudigere and is fondly remembered by his friends and family members.