E-Paper
Cheetah helicopter crash Soldier cremated with full state honour
Indian Army officer, Major Abhijai Thapa, who was killed along with his two comrades in a chopper crash in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, was cremated with full state honour here on Friday.
Indian Army officer, Major Abhijai Thapa, who was killed along with his two comrades in a chopper crash in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, was cremated with full state honour here on Friday.
Thapa, 29, who was serving in an aviation unit of the army, was killed after the Cheetah helicopter crashed, shortly after it took off. The other two officer killed are Major Vikas Varyani, 29, and Captain Avinash Somavanshi, 26.
Thapa and Somvanshi were pilots, while Variyani was an engineer officer. The three officers were on a "maintenance sortie" on the fateful day.
The deceased soldier was bid a tearful adieu by his family. Relatives and hundreds of people from neighbouring villages gathered to witness the last rites of the martyr. His body was brought to his native place Shamnagar in Dharamsala on Friday morning. He was given a guard of honour ahead of his cremation.
Local MLA and urban development minister Sudhir Sharma also paid homage to the deceased solider. He expressed heartfelt condolences to the grief-stricken families and assured all possible help. "I pray that god give the family members courage and strength to bear this terrible loss," added Sharma.
