Bhubaneswar/Angul: The mortal remains of Indian Air Force (IAF) officer Rana Pratap Das, who died along with the country’s first CDS Bipin Rawat and 12 others in recent helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu, reached Biju Patnaik International Airport Saturday.
A senior official informed that the mortal remains of Das were brought in a special IAF flight to Bhubaneswar at around 12.00 noon. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik including several other dignitaries will pay their floral tributes to the departed soul at the airport here.
In addition, 120 Battalion personnel will pay Guard of Honour to the deceased officer. Following which, the mortal remains will be carried in a decorated vehicle to his native village Krushnachandrapur under Kundala panchayat of Talcher locality in Angul district.
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Das’s family members, relatives and local villagers will pay their last obeisance to him. He will be cremated at his village with full military honours.
Das had been working in IAF as a Junior Warrant Officer (JWO) for the last 12 years. The deceased IAF officer is survived by his wife, a one-year-old son including his ailing and elderly parents.
“My brother-in-law Rana had talked with me just a few days ago. He had said that he would soon fly down to meet us all. I cannot believe that the brave and young chab is no more with us,” an immediate relation of the deceased JWO named Sankalp Das lamented.
It is pertinent to mention here that the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 11 other IAF officials who were killed in the fatal incident include Commander PS Chauhan, Squadron Leader K Singh and a JWO Pradeep A.
Rawat was on a visit to Defence Services Staff College at Wellington in Nilgiri Hills to address the faculty and student officers there.
Out of the 14 persons on board the chopper, Group Captain Varun Singh and Directing Staff at the Defence Services Staff College is undergoing treatment now at the military hospital in Wellington.
Rawat, along with his wife and other officials, boarded a flight at Delhi for the Sulur IAF base near Coimbatore at 8.47am Wednesday. They landed in Sulur at 11.34am. From there, they boarded the Mi-17V5 helicopter at 11.48am. At around 12.22pm, the Air Traffic Control (ATC) lost contact with the chopper that crashed in a forest.
PNN
