Bangalore, Jan. 4: Lieutenant Colonel E.K. Niranjan's father had called him on Saturday but could not continue the conversation as the Pathankot operation was on. They couldn't talk again.

Today, all Bangalore was talking about was how the city had lost its second NSG commando to terrorists in seven years. Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, 31, had gone down fighting the Mumbai gunmen in 2008.

"My son (Niranjan) told me he was in an operation and could not continue the conversation. But on Sunday, my elder son, Squadron Leader Sarathchandra, called and told me about the tragedy," said K. Sivarajan. The retired employee of the Centre-owned Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) had last visited his son in New Delhi in August 2015.

This afternoon, hours after the body of Lt Col Niranjan, 32, was flown in from Punjab on a special aircraft, a baby girl in a pink frock and waving lustily at camera crew stood out in the multitude of mourners. The sight of Vismaya, all of eight months and carried by a family member, left many in tears. The soldier's widow Radhika, a dentist, sat next to the coffin, clad in black.

The scenes reminded many of the outpouring of grief for Major Sandeep. Much unites the two families. Both hail from Kerala and live in the neighbourhoods of Vidyaranyapura and Yelahanka, barely 8km apart. Both soldiers were raised and educated in the city.

Today, many schools and colleges in the area had declared a holiday as a mark of respect and to enable students to pay homage to Niranjan.

"My son was very passionate about the armed forces and the uniform. He had joined the short service commission in 2003 and was permanently commissioned in 2005. He was trained in the US and had served in Kashmir before his Delhi (NSG) posting," said Sivarajan.

Lt Col Niranjan lost his mother Rajeshwari when he was only three and grew up with two brothers and a sister. His younger brother E.K. Shashank, a TCS techie, said he had last spoken to his sibling when the commando called home "sharp at midnight" to wish the family for new year. Their sister, Bhagyalakshmi, is a schoolteacher.

Today, chief minister P.C. Siddaramaiah was among those who waded through the crowds to pay his respects, as did Union ministers D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Ananth Kumar and former chief minister Veerappa Moily. "We will provide all support," said the Congress's Siddaramaiah, announcing Rs 30 lakh compensation for the family.

Later, the coffin was flown to Elambulassery, Lt Col Niranjan's native place in Kerala's Palakkad, for the last rites.