Kozhikode: After a two-and-a-half-month wait, the mortal remains of Arjun will be brought home to Kozhikode on Saturday. Arjun, a truck driver who went missing during a massive landslide at Shirur in Karnataka, was found in the Gangavali River on Wednesday. His remains are being transported to his residence in Kannadikkal, Kozhikode, from Karwar Government Medical College Hospital by ambulance.
Scores of people gathered at Kannadikkal junction, just a few kilometres from his home, early Saturday morning to pay their final respects. Reports indicate that the remains will reach Arjun's residence by 8 am on Saturday, where they will be kept for public viewing for an hour. Minister A K Saseendran is also accompanying the remains. Arjun’s two phones, clothes, utensils, food items, a bag, a watch, and a toy bought for his son, which was recovered from the lorry's cabin in the Gangavali River, will also be handed over to his family. The funeral will be held at his residence. Ministers, including KP Mohammad Riyas and MP K Raghavan, are expected to attend. Police will impose strict traffic restrictions in the Kannadikkal area for the mourning procession, according to Manorama News.
Karwar MLA Satish Krishna Sail is accompanying the mortal remains to Kozhikode and will hand over the Karnataka government's ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh to Arjun's mother. A group of lorry drivers will join the ambulance procession from Pooladikunnu in Kozhikode to pay homage.
Arjun and eight others lost their lives in the landslide on National Highway 66 in Ankola's Shirur in Karnataka, on July 16. Arjun, who was resting in his truck carrying timber to Kerala, was swept into the Gangavali River. His remains were found inside the truck’s cabin during search operations on September 25, 72 days after the landslide. A DNA test conducted in Karnataka confirmed the identity of the recovered body parts as those of Arjun. Arjun is survived by his wife Krishnapriya and son, father Preman, mother Sheela, sister Anju and her husband Jithin.