Blood-stained shoe, PAN card found, parents of Su-30 pilot want search intensified

Search and rescue staff have not found the two IAF pilots of the Sukhoi-30 that crashed a week ago.

Updated on: May 30, 2017, 22:09:08 IST

Hindustan Times, Guwahati | By Utpal Parashar

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The parents of one of the two missing IAF pilots of the Sukhoi-30 fighter jet that crashed near the Assam-Arunachal border a week ago have requested for more people to be deployed for search operations.

Defence spokesperson Lt Col Sombit Ghosh said bad weather hampered the operation. (ANI Photo)

Search and rescue teams on Monday found a blood-stained shoe, a half-burnt PAN card and a wallet at the crash site, which is located in a dense forest.

But there was no trace of squadron leader Devesh Pankaj and flight lieutenant Achuth Dev who were flying the Russian-made Su-30.

“It has been a week since the crash. We request the authorities to deploy additional personnel and intensify search operations,” Dev’s father PV Sahadevan said.

A former scientist with Indian Space Research Organisation, Sahadevan and his wife, who are from Kerala, reached Tezpur in Assam on May 25, two days after the plane went off the radar.

The wreckage was found three days later in a thick forest around 60km from Tezpur.

“Search operations are continuing despite bad weather conditions. However, there is still no trace of the two pilots,” IANS quoted an Indian Army official as saying on Tuesday.

Sahadevans are worried the search might be called off.

The jet, which was on a routine training mission and took off from IAF’s Tezpur base, lost radar and radio contact 40 minutes into the flight.

“It is surprising that despite having advanced technology and manpower, the pilots have not been traced yet,” Sahadevan said.

Search operations could be hampered the next two days as a cyclone is expected to make a landfall on Tuesday. Heavy rain is forecast for the entire Northeast region.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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