Mangaluru's Hansel Joseph Sequiera gets Seva Medal on 88th Air Force Day
Joseph was part of Air Force team that had carried Balakot Airstrike
Mangaluru: Group Captain Hansel Joseph Sequiera, aged 42 years was honoured with Yudh Seva Medal during a grand parade-cum-investiture ceremony held at the Air Force Station Hindon near Delhi to commemorate the 88th anniversary of the Indian Force. Indian Air Force Day is commemorated on 8 October every year to mark the foundation day of the Indian Air Force. The ceremony was attended by the top brass of Indian Air Force including the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria. Other notable dignitaries included the Chief of Defence Staff and the Army and Naval Chiefs.
Group Captain Hansel Joseph Sequiera is from Mangaluru, son of Mr. Victor and Olivia Sequiera who are now residing at Bengaluru. Mr. Victor Sequiera retired as Revenue officer of Karnataka Housing Board, Bangalore and Mrs. Olivia Sequiera as Branch Manager from Syndicate Bank. Mr. Victor Sequiera hails from Puttur and Mrs. Olivia Sequiera from Kadri, Mangalore.
Hansel Sequiera completed his early education from St. Joseph's Arts and Science College, Bangalore and was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 2000. He is married to Prajwal Sequeira, daughter of Arthur and Sylvia Concessao from Mangalore. He is the nephew of Archbishop Emirates Vincent Concessao, New Delhi.
He was one of the Air Force officers who took active part to avenge the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in which India carried out an aerial strike at a terror training camp in Balakot in Pakistan on February 26 last year.
The Yudh Seva Medal recognizes distinguished service of a high order during war, conflict or hostilities.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
