Mortal remains of Capt Pranjal who died fighting militants flown to B'luru

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The mortal remains of Captain M V Pranjal who was killed during an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir was flown in here on Thursday evening, defence sources said.

The 29-year-old from 63 Rashtriya Rifles lost his life during an exchange of fire with terrorists in the Rajouri sector on Wednesday.

A source said that Pranjal and his team were working on intelligence inputs about the presence of militants and he was shot in the subsequent gun battle that began on Wednesday.

Apart from Captain Pranjal, Captain Shubham Gupta, Havildar Abdul Majid, Lance Naik Sanjay Bisht and Paratrooper Sachin Laur were among the martyred army personnel.

Son of M Venkatesh, retired director of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL), Pranjal from Mysuru did his schooling at Surathkal in Dakshina Kannada district and was an engineering graduate from the National Defence Academy.

In 2021, Pranjal married Bengaluru-born Aditi, who is currently pursuing her PhD at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chennai. She is on her way to Bengaluru after she got the shocking news of her husband's death.

It is being said that Captain Pranjal was on the brink of being promoted from the rank of Captain to Major. A pall of gloom descended on Captain Pranjal's residence at Anekal on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

Family sources said the last rites will be performed at Bannerghatta near Anekal. The nation mourns the loss of the dedicated and brave officers, and condolences pour in from across the country for the grieving family and friends of the fallen heroes.

Expressing condolences on the soldier's death, former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy posted on social media platform X: "Heartfelt tributes to Captain MV Pranjal, a proud Kannadiga, who lost his life during the military operation against terrorists in Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir."