Late Lt. Colonel Niranjan Kumar, our very own Hurt Locker

[Abingdonboy]

Bengaluru: On a cold and chilly December night in 2014, a low intensity IED blast ripped through one of the city's busiest roads, killing a woman strolling with her family. Many more were injured.

Two days after the blast, around 10 am, the DC team rushed to the spot on the Church Street off busy Brigade Road where the blast took place. It had been barricaded and cordoned off. Scores of journalists were jostling for the perfect spot to get the perfect shot, the perfect quote.

We had rushed there as the bomb disposal experts from National Security Guard (NSG) Elite Commandos from the Indian Army had flown in, to examine the site of the blast. The cordoned off area was crawling with men in uniform armed with gadgets, scouring the area, sifting through the debris, looking for clues.

Amidst the hustle and bustle my gaze through the lens settled on the tall and imposing figure of a young man who was intently watching the proceedings. Sporting a pair of slender reading glasses, and holding an I Pad, his keen gaze didn't miss a trick. He could have passed for any of the hundreds of IT geeks who throng our streets. But there was something different about him. His calm demeanour, his stance, well inside the cordoned area! And that's when it hit me - he was either an investigating top cop officer or from the Indian Army. As an army kid, I recognized the breed!

The other plainclothes men sporting bomb disposal gadgets were silently following his every command. When he came up close, I asked him "Sir, are you from the Armed Forces?" Without missing a step, he said that he was a technical consultant working with a major multinational company, and moved back into the cordoned area. That's when he shed his techie persona completely, and took charge. He gestured. A junior officer handed him a pair of rubber gloves and a gadget. This man with a charm of the boy-next-door must be important, I thought as I clicked away.

I made one more effort to engage him in conversation, and told him "you are definitely from the Army". And he asked why to which I said "I was passionate about defence and services and though I am a Photo-Journalist I am a son of a person who wore the uniform of the Indian Air Force". He replied "such passion is everywhere, the real passion is when you join the services." As he was leaving though, he made a point of walking right up to me and saying, pointing at my chest, "Soldier, No Rank, No Details, but I am NIRANJAN.!”

It was not until Sunday when I entered the house of the Pathankot martyr, elite NSG Commando Bomb Disposal Unit’s Chief Lt.Col. Niranjan Kumars' house at Doddabommasandra and saw his photograph hung up on the wall that I realized that this was the same super-smart man I had met on the night of December 30 at Church Street.

This man, who put his life in jeopardy for all of us, is my real hero, the star of our own "Hurt Locker" Story. How many valiant and brave Lt.Col.Niranjan Kumars', Major Unnikrishans', Lt.Col Jojan Thomases and Col. Vasanths from Bengaluru must we lose to the marauders who cross our borders with such murderous intent.

Lt Col. Niranjan, we doff our hats to you!


Pathankot terror attack: Late Lt. Colonel Niranjan Kumar, our very own Hurt Locker





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[PARIKRAMA]

Sad we lost a hero...
Then again our forces are filled with such "unknown" heroes whose gallant work we still don know about....

Bomb Disposal Expert is perhaps the toughest job among the forces and you need a precision and presence of mind like never before.. Most devices are rigged and your normal logic will lead to instant detonation.. The smart ppl who can deduce correctly are the stars...

Sadly its one of the less renowned jobs as media rarely focuses on its challenging aspect.

Remember Jab Tak Hai Jaan (Sharukh Khan starrer directed by Yash Chopra) showed some complexities to mainstream Indian masses bout bomb disposal.

Movie detail Jab Tak Hai Jaan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There is a dialogue in the movie which i remember vividly...

"Zindagi toh har roz jaan leti hai ... bomb toh sirf ek baar lega"
Translation : Life kills you everyday ... a bomb will kill you just once

RIP Lt. Col Niranjan..............

 

[Spectre]

Really touching. As they say "King is dead, long live the King" Lt. Col Niranjan deserves no less - he may have been martyred fighting the good fight but his legacy lives on through his band of brothers in NSG.

Regards

 

[anant_s]

one thing that really sets men like these apart from ordinary ones like us is the fact that they put duty above everything else.
watch picture of his wife and kid, a lot of us have that kind of family. today any small blip in life and our thoughts go straight away to family and its welfare.
However these guys have their duty and pride of their unit as an over riding concern.
I can't fathom how can a man do it.
But perhaps thats why these are Gentlemen Officer of Indian Army and i am a mere mortal.
RIP Braveheart.

 

[Taygibay]

It takes willing men to serve. It takes strong men to serve tough missions.
And even then, it takes very special men to do that kind of work every day.

Respect, Niranjan Sir!

It's almost useless to add R.I.P., no heaven would refuse a person dedicated to saving others,

Tay.

 

[Signalian]

india can publicize his death as heroic but the fact remains that he died by not following safety protocols under such dangerous conditions, stupidity more than courage.

The subedar died as a hero, a feat uncommon at his age and designation.

 

[The_Sidewinder]

Rest in peace Soldier. Your sacrifices will never be forgotten. Salute to you.
rest in peace martyr.
@Abingdonboy thnxx fot the tag man. Appreciate it.

 

[srshkmr]

Why not use robots for bomb defusal ?

 

[Taygibay]

Why not use robots for bomb defusal ?

Three basic reasons ( generic ones not related to the death of this thread's object ) :

1- Inaccessibility of the target for some robots ( even though others may reach where men can't ).

2- Unavailability of the robot in given site at given time ( there are fewer per country than many think ).

3- Voluntary attempt to preserve the device for investigation of techniques, culprits and even motives.

Punctually, there can be many other.

Good day, Tay.

.

 

[Abingdonboy]

Why not use robots for bomb defusal ?

Specifics of this mission, we don't know the exact circumstances of this soldier's death nor the mission he was carrying out at the time. The fact is bomb disposal robots were at hand and this man was no idiot, he was the head of the NSG's Bomb Disposal Unit, he knew what he was doing, he knew the dangers and the fact he chose to do what he did tells us there was something unique going on.

Combat is not neat, it does not follow the plot of hollywood movies- it is messy and conforms to Murphy's law- everything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

 

[srshkmr]

Three basic reasons ( generic ones not related to the death of this thread's object ) :

1- Inaccessibility of the target for some robots ( even though others may reach where men can't ).

2- Unavailability of the robot in given site at given time ( there are fewer per country than many think ).

3- Voluntary attempt to preserve the device for investigation of techniques, culprits and even motives.

Punctually, there can be many other.

Good day, Tay.

.

That sums it up thanks

 

[Nair saab]

He Looks handsome, Tall, Charming a tech geek graduate in Engineering coming from Financially well family from one of the most prosperous state of South Indian Kerala and Brought up in a Tech City Bangalore...

Life could have offered him 1000's of opportunities but he selected the toughest job in India which on average is very less paid and has the Highest risk job in India...

Still he opted for the Indian Army... Shows his patriotism even before we know about his Martyrdom... This guy was born brave...

If you read the life of Major Unni Krishnan its the same case he was from a well to do family with father been working in a reputed post in ISRO... Tall, handsome has every thing that any girl dreams of having in his man...

These people are a perfect examples for Youngsters...

Million Thanks for protecting us Sir... there is no death for a Brave, you will live for ever like Arun Khetrapal and many others... Om Shanti...

 

[SrNair]

india can publicize his death as heroic but the fact remains that he died by not following safety protocols under such dangerous conditions, stupidity more than courage.

The subedar died as a hero, a feat uncommon at his age and designation.

Of Course .An Arm Chair general can pass comments and protocol speech with a laptop /PC.
But you dont know the reality of such dangerous jobs .The duty of NSG men under the Lt Colonel was just to follow the orders of their superior .But as a commanding officer he also had a responsibility to protect his boys under his command .So he took the risk like a true officer .
On topic: He did a great job with the limited resources provided to him by our nation .
A Great Salute to you Sir

 

[IndoCarib]

Hurt for Hurt: India’s Strategy for Dealing With Terrorists - India Real Time - WSJ

 

[Eminent Mainstream Media]

शत शत नमन l