Lt Col Vijayaraghavan's mortal remains were brought to Chennai from New Delhi by an Indian Airlines flight at 9.30 pm yesterday.

Vijayaraghavan died on Thursday evening during counter-insurgency operations near Machchal in the Kashmir Valley.

Major General S P Kapoor, general officer commanding, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Goa area, Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu, F C Sharma, were the first to pay their respects to the departed officer.

Sharif's effigy burnt

CHENNAI: Overcome by emotion and anger, a section of mourners at the funeral of Lieutenant Colonel Nataraj Vijayaraghavan, burnt an effigy of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today. Residents of Suburban Tambaram and people from thesurrounding villages, shouted, `Bharat Mata ki Jai', `Pakistan down down' and `Nawaz Sharif down down" as the effigy went up in flames.