Army pays tribute to Lt Col VVB Reddy and Major Jayanth who died in chopper crash in Arunachal

Last tributes were paid with full military honours to Lt Col VVB Reddy and Major Jayanth A of Army Aviation, who lost their lives in the line of duty on 16 March, in the Arunachal Army chopper crash in West Kameng district while on an operational sortie in Tezpur, Assam.

Wreath was laid on behalf of a grateful nation for the untiring service to the nation by the officers. 

The mortal remains have been moved to their home towns Yadadri near Hyderabad, Telangana and Madurai, Tamil Nadu in a Special Military Plane.

Also Read: Arunachal: Wreckage of crashed Cheetah helicopter recovered, two pilots dead

A Cheetah helicopter of the Indian Army crashed near Mandala, west of Bomdila, in Arunachal Pradesh on March 16, a defence spokesperson said.

An Army Aviation Cheetah helicopter flying an operational sortie near Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh was reported to have lost contact with the ATC at around 09:15 AM on 16 March.

It is reported to have crashed near Mandala, West of Bomdila. 

Rohit Rajbir Singh, the superintendent of police, Special Investigation Cell (SIC), explained that villagers had found the crashed chopper ablaze in Dirang, and informed district officials. "Villagers from Bangjalep at Dirang located the chopper around 12.30 pm. It is still burning," Singh said. The area has no mobile connectivity and the weather is extremely foggy with visibility as low as five meters, he added.