Thousands of people turned up in Elanthur in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district on Friday, October 4 to pay homage to Thomas Cherian, a Malayali soldier who died in a plane crash 56 years ago. Cherian went missing in 1968 when he was 22; his remains were discovered by the Indian Army last week. Those who paid their last respects included ministers, politicians of all parties, and former defence officers.

The entire funeral arrangements, barring the religious rites, were controlled by the Madras Regiment, which had on Thursday collected the body from the air force base in the state’s capital of Thiruvananthapuram after it arrived from Chandigarh on a special Indian Air Force (IAF) flight.

At 6.30 am on Friday, the body was transported in an Army vehicle and routed to his residence. On the way, several people lined up on either side of the road and at certain places, the local police station had also made arrangements to bid Cherian a final goodbye.

In Elanthur, the body was received by his siblings and taken to his brother’s residence. At the house, prayers were held and from there the body was taken to the St George Orthodox Church, Cherian’s home parish.

After customary prayers led by Metropolitan Kuriakose Mar Clemis and numerous priests from various churches, the Army gave a final guard of honour.

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