Body of soldier recovered 56 years after IAF plane crash to be handed over to family in Uttarakhand
New Delhi: Fifty-six years after his death in an Indian Air Force plane crash, the body of soldier Narayan Singh will be returned to his ancestral village in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, on Thursday, where it will be received by his extended family.
Narayan Singh was among the four crew members on board the IAF AN-12 transport plane that crashed into snow-covered mountains near Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh on February 7, 1968. The aircraft, which was carrying 102 passengers including crew members, crashed almost 16,000 feet above sea level near the Dhaka glacier.
Earlier this week, a joint team of the Indian Army’s Dogra Scouts and representatives from Tiranga Mountain Rescue recovered the remains of four individuals from the crash site. Singh’s body was identified through a paybook found in his pocket.
Singh served as a sepoy in the Army Medical Corps (AMC). His address at Kolpudi village in Chamoli was traced through records, and his extended family was informed about the discovery. His stepson, Jaiveer Singh, shared that Narayan was the lone child of his parents and had died a couple of years after marrying Basanti Devi.
Narayan and Basanti had no children. His family was informed of the crash through a telegram in February 1968, but received no further communication regarding him. A few years later, Narayan’s parents arranged Basanti’s marriage with Bhawan Singh, Narayan’s first cousin. Jaiveer, one of the seven children born from Basanti’s marriage with Bhawan, recalled how his mother, who passed away in 2011, would share memories of Narayan.
“I want to ask the Indian Army why my mother never received any compensation or pension. If she had some money for survival, she might not have remarried,” Jaiveer questioned, adding that he was initially reluctant to receive the body but later accepted it in memory of his late mother.
The remains of two other individuals found at the crash site have also been identified. Sepoy Malkhan Singh from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, was identified through a voucher found in his pocket, while Craftsman Thomas Charan from the Army’s Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers was identified through documents. Malkhan Singh’s grandchildren performed the last rites with full military honours. Charan’s mother, Eleama, has been informed of his discovery.
An official stated that while documents recovered from the fourth body have not conclusively identified the individual, his next of kin have been notified. The deceased’s wife Parvati Devi and his father Netram have been informed of the discovery.
The wreckage of the AN-12 plane was first discovered in 2003 by mountaineers from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering. Since then, the Indian Army’s Dogra Scouts have led several search missions, recovering a total of five bodies by 2019. The latest expedition, named the ChandraBhaga Mountain Expedition, has now recovered four more bodies, bringing renewed hope to the families of the deceased.
“The ChandraBhaga Expedition has once again demonstrated the Indian Army’s relentless determination to bring closure to families, even after half a century,” the officials said, adding that the search for the remains of other passengers continues as the expedition persists in its mission until October 10.
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Woman in labour dies while being transported in ambulance lacking oxygen support
Palghar (PTI): A 26-year-old pregnant woman from Maharashtra's Palghar district died while being taken to hospital in an ambulance which was not equipped with oxygen and other necessary facilities, authorities said on Wednesday.
Palghar's Civil Surgeon Dr Ramdas Marad said the health department has repeatedly raised concerns with authorities about the lack of specialised ambulances in the region.
The woman, who was in labour pain, was brought to a rural hospital here in a critical state on Tuesday evening.
"If she had come earlier, we could have saved her," the health official said.
Palghar Lok Sabha member Dr Hemant Savara said the health department should take necessary action into the matter and ambulance services should have adequate facilities.
Pinki Dongarkar, resident of Sarni village, went into labour on Tuesday evening.
Her family immediately rushed her to Kasa rural hospital, but due to the critical nature of her condition, the staff there referred her to neighbouring Silvassa city (in the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu) for further medical attention.
However, despite frantic attempts by her family to secure an ambulance equipped with oxygen and necessary medical facilities through the '108' emergency service, their requests went unanswered, a health official said.
They were eventually provided with a regular ambulance by the Kasa rural hospital.
While en route to Silvassa, the woman succumbed to complications and the foetus also did not survive, health officials confirmed.
Dr Marad said the woman was brought to the Kasa rural hospital in a critical state.
According to him, the woman suffered from a condition called Intrauterine Fetal Death (IUFD), where the foetus died in the womb. The exact time of the foetal death could not be determined.
Upon arrival at the hospital, the woman was semi-conscious and showed signs of severe infection.
On issues with the 108 emergency ambulance services, which are privately operated, Dr Marad said the ambulance might have been unavailable due to high demand.
The health department has repeatedly raised concerns with authorities about the lack of specialised ambulances in the region, he said.
Talking to PTI, Palghar BJP MP Savara said, "This is a very sad incident. The health department should take necessary action in this connection. Also, such an incident should not happen in future for this reason."
"The ambulance services should have adequate oxygen and cardiac support facilities. Also, a doctor is required to accompany the patient. I will follow it up with the government," he said.
CPI (M) leader Vinod Nikole, the newly-elected assembly member from Dahanu in Palghar, said he had raised the issue in the House during his last term, but no action was taken.
He criticised the government over "indifference" towards improving healthcare facilities, particularly in tribal areas, and accused the state of prioritising other programmes, such as the Ladki Bahin Yojana, over the urgent needs of healthcare in rural regions.
