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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Rahul Gandhi to attend friendly football match between Messi, Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad
Hyderabad (PTI): Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will attend the GOAT India Tour event featuring football legend Lionel Messi at the RGI Cricket Stadium here on Saturday evening, Telangana Congress sources said.
A friendly match will be played between the two teams -- Singareni RR9 and Aparna-Messi All Stars. These two teams will be playing a 15-20 minute friendly match and five minutes before the game, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, a football enthusiast and Messi will join and will dribble the ball together.
Rahul Gandhi will land here on a special flight at 4.30 PM and will proceed to Taj Falaknuma Palace Hotel where Messi will be staying.
After watching the game, Gandhi will leave for the national capital by 10.30 PM.
Elaborate security arrangements are being made for the event at the RGI Cricket stadium.
Rachakonda Police Commissioner Sudheer Babu said security would be provided with 3,000 personnel.
