Mallikarjun Bande laid to rest

Police sub-inspector Mallikarjun Bande, who succumbed to injuries that he sustained in a shoot-out, was cremated with State honour in his native village of Khajuri in Gulbarga district on Thursday.

Thousands of people attended the ceremony to pay their last respects to the valiant cop, as the police band played and the customary 21-gun salute was fired.

Bande’s body was brought to Khajuri in Aland taluk in the afternoon. The funeral took place about 5pm in accordance with Lingayat traditions under the guidance of Mahanta Shivacharya of Sulphal Math, Jayamruthyanjaya Swami of Panchamsali peetha.

Bande’s wife Mallamma, his father Karabasappa and other family members were inconsolable and the gloom in the faces of Bande’s two children, two-year-old Saidarshan and five-year-old Shivani, was a heart-wrenching moment for those who attended the ceremony.

In a poignant scene, many police personnel deployed for security could not control their emotions as tears rolled down their cheeks while the funeral was in progress. Nearly 30,000 people from the neighbouring villages and districts attended the funeral.

Home minister KJ George and district-in-charge minister Qumar-ul-Islam paid floral tributes to Bande in DAR ground in Gulbarga in the morning.

George announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh from the government and an additional Rs 25 lakh from the police department. He also stated that the government will take care of the education expenditures of Bande’s children.