Union Power Minister Rangarajan Kumaramangalam and Dr M Revathi, a sister of the late major, were among those who accompanied the body laid in a coffin draped in the tricolour.

Earlier, the body was brought here from New Delhi by an Indian Airlines flight. It was received by Tamil Nadu electricity minister Arcot N Veerasamy, who placed a wreath on behalf of the state government, and Maj General S P Kapoor, general officer commanding-in-chief for Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Goa, among others.

The body was taken to the air force station at suburban Tambaram in an open jeep and kept for a couple of hours to enable the public to pay their homage.Those who placed wreaths on the body included state assembly speaker P T RPalinivel Rajan, ministers Tamizhkudimagan and K Pichandi and Chennai corporation mayor M K Stalin.