During a tragic crash of the IAF’s Tejas fighter jet, the 34-year-old wing commander Namansh Syal was martyred, leaving his village in Himachal shattered. Syal belonged to Patialakad village in Nagrota Bagwan of Himachal Pradesh.
The jet crashed in the UAE on Friday during the Air show organised in Dubai. The fighter jet crashed during a practice flight. Syal was known for his discipline and service record. He is survived by his parents, his wife, who is an Indian Air Force Officer and a daughter. His parents were in Hyderabad during the plane crash while they were visiting their son and daughter-in-law.
Jagan Nath, Syal’s father, is a retired army officer and has also served as principal in Himachal’s Education department. The visuals from the crash were telecast on several channels, showing the flight losing its control and crashing into the ground, bursting into flames. It left no chance for the wing commander to eject during the flight.
The incident left the audience in shock, as the entire Kangra valley was grieving the loss of the soldier. Villagers gathered before his house on a cold night and celebrated their brave son with a bonfire. The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, also expressed sorrow at the loss of the pilot’s life.
It has been reported that Namansh’s father was searching for his son’s video on YouTube when he found the tragic crash footage on the internet, leaving him shattered. Jogindernath Syal, the pilot’s uncle, informed PTI that the remains of the Wing Commander reached the Sulur Air Force station near Coimbatore around 9 am on Saturday, and will be flown to Gaggal airport in Kangra, where the last rites of Syal will be performed by his family.
Syal’s alma mater, the Sainik school at Sujanpur Tira in Hamirpur, was also shocked after hearing about the incident and is still recovering from the loss of the brave and illustrious alumni.
