By IANSe
Hyderabad : Only last week, Major K.P. Vinay called up his father asking for a few more invitation cards to distribute among his friends. After all, he was getting married.
But on Wednesday, his family members waited for 30-year-old Vinay’s body to be flown in from Srinagar for the last rites. He was killed in a gun battle with militants in Jammu and Kashmir Tuesday.
A pall of gloom has descended on his home at Premavathipet in Rajendranagar area on the city outskirts. Vinay was slated to return home this month and then go with parents and family to Bangalore for his marriage Oct 29.
Late Tuesday evening all that suddenly changed. The defence authorities informed the family of his death in a gun battle with militants in Baramulla district.
An assault team of soldiers led by Vinay had cordoned off the Rajwali forests in Baramulla district following a tip-off about the militants’ movement. The militants, who were hiding in a house, fired indiscriminately, killing the young officer.
Military officers from Kashmir informed Vinay’s elder brother Vikram over phone that bullets pierced the officer’s head and chest, killing him instantaneously.
Vinay’s mother Jayanti, who was busy making arrangements for the marriage, fainted on hearing the news while his father K.R. Prabhakar was shell-shocked.
Vinay had called up his father last week and asked for a few more wedding invitation cards to be given to his friends. Prabhakar sent the cards and asked Vinay to return soon as the family had to make many arrangements for the marriage in Bangalore, from where the bride’s family hails.
Originally hailing from Bangalore, Prabhakar had shifted to Hyderabad two decades ago after joining the National Academy of Agriculture Research Management here as a video programme officer. He retired two years ago and settled near the institute.
Born March 18, 1977, in Bangalore, Vinay studied at Vasavi Public School and A.V. College here, and joined the National Defence Academy in 1994.
Vikram, manager in an IT firm here, said his younger brother had opted for the army over the air force. He was commissioned in the army in 1999 and immediately later took part in the Kargil war.
Vinay was promoted to the rank of major three years ago and was posted with 34 Rashtriya Rifles in Kashmir for anti-insurgency operations for the mandatory two-year period that was to expire in October next.
He was to go to the United States for a conference on anti-terrorism in December 2007.
His body is likely to be brought here later in the day or early Thursday. The last rites will be performed with full military honours.