Gurugram, March 6 Preparations were underway at Squadron Leader Anuj Vashisht's home here for his wedding. Then, on Friday afternoon, a call arrived that turned a celebration into a mourning.
The caller was an official from the Indian Air Force (IAF) who informed the family that Vashisht had died in a crash involving a Su-30 MKI in the Karbi Anglong district of Assam.
Soon after receiving the call, some family members left for Assam, said Chandra Prakash, a relative of the family.
However, Vashisht's mother is still unaware of the loss. She has been told that her son was injured in the crash, he said.
She will eventually find out.
Friends and relatives started gathering at Vashisht's house in Sector 22B here after learning about the crash.
According to a family friend, Vashisht was from the Bhiwani district of Haryana. He is survived by his father, Subedar (retired) Anand Prakash, his mother, Anita Devi, and a younger brother.
"Anuj completed his early education at Kendriya Vidyalaya in Sector 14, Gurugram, and subsequently joined the Indian Air Force. His family was preparing for his wedding, and his fiancée is also a pilot," Prakash said.
The IAF confirmed the deaths of Vashisht and Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar on Friday, a day after their Su-30 MKI, which was on a training flight, disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Jorhat airbase.
Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh and Haryana's Minister for Military and Paramilitary Welfare, Rao Narbir Singh, condoled the loss of lives in the crash.
In their messages, they said that the nation will never forget the sacrifice of its brave sons.
Vashisht demonstrated indomitable courage, dedication, and patriotism by sacrificing his life in service to the nation. His supreme sacrifice will forever inspire the nation, they said.