The remains of Colonel Viplav Tripathi, his wife and son, who were killed in a terrorist attack in Manipur two days back, were brought to their hometown Raigarh in Chhattisgarh today, officials said.
Colonel Tripathi, the Commanding Officer of Khuga Battalion of the Assam Rifles, his wife Anuja, 36, son Abeer, 5 and four personnel of the paramilitary force were killed in an ambush in the northeastern state on Saturday.
"A special plane of the Indian Air Force carrying mortal remains of the Colonel, his wife and son, landed at an airstrip in Raigarh at 12:42 pm," an official said.
Col Viplav Tripathi's younger brother, Lieutenant Colonel Anay Tripathi, state's Higher Education Minister Umesh Patel, Raigarh MP Gomti Sai, local MLAs, district administration and police officials were present at the airstrip, he said.
From there, the bodies were taken in an open flower-decked truck to Colonel Tripathi's home.
The remains will later be kept at the Ramleela ground for the public to pay homage, he said.
The final rites will be held in the evening at a crematorium near Circuit House with full military and state honours, the official said.
Meanwhile, the Raigarh town observed a spontaneous bandh as a mark of respect to the soldier.
A large number of people turned up at Colonel Tripathi's house to pay tribute to him.
Colonel RS Thakur of the Assam Rifles, four other officers and 45 personnel, who reached Raigarh on Sunday evening, visited Colonel Tripathi's house to express condolences to the bereaved family members.
Col Tripathi's father Subhash Tripathi is a senior journalist and editor of local Hindi daily 'Dainik Bayar'.
Colonel Tripathi was inspired by his freedom fighter grandfather Kishori Mohan Tripathi, who was also a member of the Constituent Assembly, a family member had said.
Kishori Mohan Tripathi died in 1994 when Viplav Tripathi was 14. It was his grandfather who inspired him to don the Army uniform, his maternal uncle Rajesh Patnaik told PTI.
In 2001, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Kumaon Regiment in Ranikhet, he said.
10 Maoists Killed In Encounter With Security Forces In Chhattisgarh Man Shot Dead In Manipur's Jiribam Amid Tension Over Killing Of Women, Children In Chhattisgarh, High Levels Of Uranium, Used For Nuclear Plants, In Water "Thousand Times Better...": Delhi Lt Governor's Surprise For AAP's Atishi "World War 3 Has Begun": Ukraine Ex-Military Commander Amid Russia Conflict UK To Arrest Netanyahu If He Visits, "Will Comply" With World Court Order Ukraine Returns Residents Of Russian Border Region In Rare Deal With Moscow Fast-Forming Alien Planet Puzzles Astronomers. Defies Current Understanding Top Court Expunges High Court's Remarks Against Judge, Calls For Restraint Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.