Odia IAF officer who died in Coonoor chopper crash cremated with state honours

Earlier in the day, the mortal remains of Das were brought to the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar from New Delhi. The body was then carried in a special vehicle in a procession to the 120 Battalion of Territorial Army premises in Bhubaneswar.

Published on: Dec 12, 2021, 24:49:42 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The mortal remains of junior warrants officer of the Indian Air Force, Rana Pratap Das were consigned to flames with full state honours at his native village in Angul district on Saturday evening.

Das was with CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others in the ill-fated Mi-17V5 chopper that crashed near Coonoor on December 8.

In the presence of family members, officials of the IAF and hundreds of people, Das’s body was consigned to flames at a crematorium at his native Krushnachandrapur village.

Before the cremation, a gun salute was given by the armed forces to the Tricolour-wrapped body of Das at the crematorium amid chants of ‘Rana Pratap Amar Rahe’.

Earlier in the day, the mortal remains of Das were brought to the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar from New Delhi. The body was then carried in a special vehicle in a procession to the 120 Battalion of Territorial Army premises in Bhubaneswar.

A Guard of Honour was given followed by a tribute by chief minister Naveen Patnaik, DGP, senior armed forces personnel and political leaders. The body was then taken in an ambulance escorted by an armed forces vehicle and district police to Krushnachandrapur village.

Political leaders cutting across party lines along with the hundreds of people were present at the crematorium.

Born in 1987, Das joined IAF in June 2006 and was transferred to Coimbatore three months ago. The 34-year-old was married in 2017 to Shivangi, a dentist by profession. They have a 19-month-old son.

A grieving Srivatsa Das, father of the deceased officer, said his son had promised to come home next month. “He was home last Dussehra. I never thought that I would see his body a few months later,” said Srivatsa Das.

A special memorial is being built in the village for Das by Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. People of Krushnachandrapur have demanded that the road between Talabeda and Krishnachandrapur be named after him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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