A mother remembers her son smiling during a short video call, while another holds on to a photo he shared from inside a plane, after an Indian Air Force AN-32 cargo plane crashed while landing at the air force station in Jorhat, Assam on Saturday, killing five people, including their sons.
The exact cause of the accident has not yet been determined. Air Force officials said an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the accident.
Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar from Bihar’s Jehanabad and Agnivirvayu Danish Alam from Bhojpur were among those killed in the accident. The deaths of Kumar (25) and Alam (22) left their village in deep grief, as residents mourned the loss.
Lt. Shubham Kumar’s family remembers the last call
Family members said the flight lieutenant spoke to his mother via video call from Banwaria village in Bihar’s Jehanabad district around 9 am on Saturday.
“Kumar seemed cheerful and normal. He said he was in a hurry and would talk at length later,” recalled a family member while speaking to news agency PTI.
Kumar, the son of farmer Babu Sharma from Panbaria village in Holasganj district of Jehanabad, joined the Indian Air Force after completing his training at the National Defense Academy in 2017.
His marriage date is set for November this year. He had traveled to his village in the first week of April to participate in his grandmother’s funeral Shraddha HT had earlier reported that the rituals and service resumed just 10 days ago.
His younger brother, Satyam, said the family first heard about the incident around 11am, but found it difficult to accept the news. They did not accept this tragedy until repeated calls to his phone were not answered, and officials later confirmed his death.
People in his village remember him as a humble young man who stayed connected to his roots and would greet everyone warmly whenever he returned home on vacation.
‘It was his dream to serve in the IAF’: Agniveervayu’s mother Danish Alam
In Kayamnagar village in Bihar’s Bhojpur district, Danish Alam’s family keeps the last photo he sent from inside a plane on Saturday morning.
His mother, Akhtari Begum, told the news agency: “He spoke to us via video call on Friday evening and seemed very happy.
Begum fainted after receiving the news, while his father Muhammad Farooq Alam, who works in Jedha Industrial Area, remained speechless and stared blankly as people tried to talk to him.
On Saturday morning, he sent us a photo of himself sitting inside a plane. We then headed to Al-Ara Market, and while we were there, we received news of the accident. We hurried home.”
Allam was her only son. She has two daughters.
“It was his dream to serve in the Indian Air Force. He planned his studies himself and worked hard to achieve this goal,” Begum said.
His friends and local residents described him as a determined young man who carried the hopes of his family.
He appealed to his friend Sujit Tiwari to provide financial assistance to the family.
“Alam has been the family’s biggest support. His older sister is not married yet, his mother is still sick, and the family has very limited resources.
“His father has a private job and earns close to that $10,000 per month. We hope that the government will provide assistance to them.”
The remains of the dead were returned
As news of the incident reached Al-Qaryatayn, residents mourned the loss while also taking pride in the service of the young men who wore the military uniform.
The remains of the two soldiers were transferred to their home villages on Sunday and were given full military honors.
A large crowd, including residents of nearby villages, gathered to pay their respects to Kumar.
Thousands of people gathered at Agnivirvayu Danish Alam’s indigenous village and raised slogans of “Martyr Amar Rahi” as his mortal remains reached his home.
With inputs from PTI
