Day after immolation,26/11 hero’s uncle battles for life

He told Newsline that 56-year-old Mohanan’s daughter was supposed to sit for her SSC exams on February 14. “I don’t understand why he did this. His daughter was preparing for her board exams,” Unnikrishnan said.

“His wife is inconsolable. His son was preparing for his MCA exams. They are still in shock,” said Unnikrishnan. Over the last four months,Mohanan had reportedly lost interest in the small grocery store he ran in Calicut. “We thought he was getting old,so he was probably tired of working. But he was obviously frustrated,” he added.

Mohanan was rushed to RML Hospital with 98 per cent burns after he attempted immolationoutside Gate 4 of Parliament House near Vijay Chowk at 5.45 pm on Thursday. Dr T S Sidhu,Medical Superintendent of RML Hospital,said,“Mohanan’s condition is very critical. A team of multi-disciplinary doctors is managing him.”

According to Unnikrishnan,his brother had been a big “fan of Sandeep.”

“He was very fond of Sandeep. When my son joined the NSG,he said he was a great man to have so much love for his country,” he said.

According to him,Mohanan never managed to get over the grief of his nephew’s untimely death.

“He cried uncontrollably when news of Sandeep’s death came. I counselled him myself many times… we thought he had got over it in the last three years. But he was an extremely sensitive man… it is clear that the memory was still imprinted in his heart,” said Unnikrishnan.

He clarified that he had no complaints against the government. “My son only did his duty as a commando. Terrorism is a national problem,what my brother did was his own individual decision.”