The body was flown to the City in the Indian Airlines Flight IC904. Hundreds of people including Thomas’ relatives and friends had gathered at his quarters at Manekshaw Enclave when the body arrived.

Thomas leaves behind wife Beena Thomas, daughter Meghana, a trainee pilot in Philippines and son Phileemon, a class V student in Baldwin School in Bangalore.

Meghana told Deccan Herald, “He was in Bangalore from July 10 to August 9. He was very courageous and brave soldier and always wanted to protect the country.  He called on August 22 at 4:30 am and said he was leaving for an anti-terrorist operation. He asked us not to call him and promised that he would call us back in the evening. But, an army officer called around 4:30 pm and told that my father sustained serious injuries along with another officer in the fight. I thought my father was no more.”

“He would handle tough situations in a mature way. His was a positive attitude and gave greater amount of respect to discipline and was always punctual. He would come home twice or thrice a year and spend time with us nearly a month,” she added.

Thomas and his Quick Reaction Team, came in contact with a group of terrorists and in the ensuing gun fight, neutralised two terrorists, though the officer also sustained gun shot wounds.

Despite injury

In spite of the injury Thomas continued the search in the dense forested area and again established contact with the terrorists. This resulted in the death of two more terrorists. However, Thomas too suffered fatal injuries in the fresh fire fight and succumbed to his injuries.

The Archbishop of the Malankara Syrian Knanaya Jacobite Arch Diocese HE Kuriakose Mar Severios Chief Metropolitan will conduct funeral services on Monday around 2:30 pm. The cortege will leave the residence at 12 noon which will be held at St George Knanaya Syrian Church, Embassy Golf Links, Domlur Intermediate Ring Road, Bangalore.

Jojan Thomas, a native of Thiruvalla in Kerala joined the army in 1986 as second lieutenant at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai. He was posted to actual  operations in Siachen, the highest battlefield in the world.
From 1989 to 1992, he was in Jammu and Kashmir after which he joined the Army Aviation Corps and served as a helicopter pilot till 1999. He was then selected for the very prestigious and coveted Staff Course of Officers in the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. 

In December 2006, as a full colonel, he took command of 45 Rashtriya Rifles on Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. He served in Meerut, Siliguri, Jhansi, Nasik, Secunderabad, Dimapura (Nagaland) and Bangalore.