How many more pilots have to give up their lives to shake 'you' up, asks wife of Mirage crash pilot
New Delhi : Garima Abrol, wife of IAF pilot Samir who died in a Mirage 2000 aircraft crash earlier this month, has sought to know how many more aviators will lose their lives for the authorities to realise there is "something really wrong" in the system.
In a moving Facebook post, Abrol said the feeling has still not sunk in that her husband is no more and that she will keep fighting for the cause that claimed Samir's life.
On February 1, Squadron Leaders Samir Abrol and Siddhartha Negi, both from Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment, died after their fighter jet crashed in Bengaluru.
They were conducting an acceptance sortie of the Mirage-2000 trainer, which had been newly upgraded by state-run aerospace company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
Though the two pilots made a bid to eject, they were caught in the flames as the plane crashed with a huge explosion.
"I am Garima Abrol I am the wife of Martyr Squadron Leader Samir Abrol...whose tears are still not dry... It still hasn't sunk in that you are gone. No one has the answer to my questions. Why YOU? My husband was a proud Indian and I loved sending him off to serve the nation with a morning cup of tea and a head held high.
"Every soldier's wife's biggest fear in life is when her husband would be called to the front line and serve in an active war. I too had this fear. Many a times I woke up crying after having one such bad dream... But Samir would hold me, console me and tell me...that (it) is the ultimate purpose of his job...to be able to serve our nation when the call comes... He wanted me to be brave, as that's what he was, a brave soldier, patriot to the core," she said in a Facebook post.
"How many more of these pilots have to give up their life to shake you up and make you realise there is something really wrong in the system? How many fighters have to give up their life for you to wake up?" she said.
In another post last week, Samir's younger brother, Sushant, had said while the bureaucracy enjoy its "corrupt cheese and wine", the air warriors are given "outdated machines" to fight.
An emotional poem penned by Sushant, posted on Facebook, states it is an "unforgiving" job to be a test pilot, given the risks it posses.
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'He is in a happy place now': Harish Rana's last rites conducted, family to donate his organs
Ghaziabad (UP) (PTI): Don't cry, he is in a happy place now, the parents of Harish Rana, the first person in India to be permitted passive euthanasia, said on Wednesday as they bid farewell to their son one last time.
Harish's last rites were conducted at the Green Park cremation ground in South Delhi on Wednesday morning, marking a quiet end to his 13-year ordeal.
In a final act of generosity, Harish's family consented to donate five of his organs.
The 31-year-old man passed away on Tuesday after slipping into a coma in 2013, following a fall from a fourth-floor balcony while he was a B.Tech student at Panjab University.
During the last rites, Harish's mother bid an emotional farewell to her son with folded hands and met those present, while his father Ashok Rana urged mourners not to cry, a neighbour told PTI over the phone.
Residents who attended the cremation described the atmosphere as deeply emotional. Tejas Chaturvedi, a resident of the Raj Empire Society, noted that many attendees were moved to tears during the ceremony. However, Ashok Rana continued to console others and encouraged them to remain strong in their moment of grief.
"Let no one weep. I am praying that my son may depart in peace. Wherever he is born next, may he receive God's blessings," he said.
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajai Rai, who visited the cremation ground to pay his respects, told PTI that the family had confirmed donation of five of Harish's organs. "Harish might be gone, but he will continue to live on through the beneficiaries of his organ donation. The family has set an example before the entire nation," Rai told PTI over the phone.
Family members, along with representatives of the Brahma Kumaris, a spiritual movement led by women, attended the cremation to offer their prayers for Harish. Residents from the Raj Empire Society in Ghaziabad, where the Rana family lives, also came to show their support, joining a diverse group of NGOs, AIIMS staff, relatives, and friends.
Harish's body was transported to the cremation ground in an ambulance, and the platform was covered in rose petals. Many mourners paid their last respects with folded hands, and some placed saffron garlands on the body before it was laid upon the pyre. Ashish Rana, Harish's younger brother, lit the pyre, accompanied by his sister, Bhavna.
Sister Lovely of the Brahma Kumaris, who has been associated with the family and travelled to the cremation ground, said that meditative chants were performed during the last rites. "The body is leaving the mortal world, but the soul is immortal and has begun a new journey," she said.
"The family decided to donate Harish's eyes," Sister Lovely told PTI.
Additionally, Sister Lovely shared that a 'bhog' (offering) and prayer ritual will be held by the Brahma Kumaris in the coming days, where food items that Harish enjoyed will be prepared. "Harish could not eat for over a decade. Now the soul is free. In a symbolic gesture, we will offer the food that his body loved," she said.
Earlier, neighbours and well-wishers spoke of the family's unwavering commitment to caring for Harish despite the emotional and financial challenges they faced over the years. His parents, Ashok Rana and Nirmala Devi, described the decision to allow passive euthanasia as "extremely painful but necessary."
According to sources, the family is scheduled to return to their Ghaziabad residence after completing the last rites and related rituals.
Harish was shifted to the palliative care unit at AIIMS Delhi earlier this month from his Ghaziabad home following a landmark Supreme Court order permitting the withdrawal of life support for him. He passed away on Tuesday.
The apex court had clarified that passive euthanasia in his case would involve withdrawal of artificial nutrition, such as the feeding tube, while continuing palliative care to allow a natural death with dignity. Medical boards had concluded that his condition was irreversible.
