Army to exhume officer’s remains after 24 years

Dimapur: The Indian Army plans to shift the remains of an officer, who was killed in an ambush in Nagaland 24 years ago, to Kerala, his native state.

A press release from Public Relations Officer (Defence) Col C Konwer said the Army will exhume the remains of Second Lieutenant ET Joseph on October 10 in the presence of the officer’s family members.

The officer was killed on June 12, 1992, while moving from Chakabama in Nagaland to Jessami in Manipur, some 140 km south. The convoy was ambushed by Naga militants.

Because of the situational constraints in those days, Joseph buried at Chakabama, some 145 kilometers north of the Nagaland capital of Kohima. His father, Subedar Major AT Joseph, who was then posted in Shillong, capital of neighboring Meghalaya state, was the only family member who could attend the funeral.

Neither Joseph’s mother nor his two sisters could visit his grave in the past 24 years, the release said. They would reach Nagaland on October 9 along with Joseph’s father. They plan to leave Nagaland on October 12, reports Morung Express.

The family will relocate Joseph’s mortal remains to Kottayam in Kerala, some 3,800 km southwest of Chakabama.