Mother clings to hope of 'parachute escape' after Assam Sukhoi crash that killed IAF pilot

Family members of Indian Air Force pilot Squadron Leader Anuj Vashishth, who died in the Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter jet crash in Assam on March 5, have not yet informed his mother about the tragedy, relatives said on Friday, March 6.

According to family friends, the 33-year-old pilot’s mother has only been told that the aircraft had crashed and that her son managed to eject with the help of a parachute but sustained injuries. The family has chosen to withhold the news of his death for now, fearing the emotional impact.

The Indian Air Force had earlier confirmed that Squadron Leader Anuj Vashishth and Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar (27) lost their lives when the Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter jet crashed during a routine training mission in Assam on Thursday evening. The aircraft had taken off from the airbase in Jorhat and went down in the hilly terrain of Karbi Anglong district, about 60 km away.

On the afternoon of March 6, friends and relatives gathered at the Vashishth family’s three-storey residence in Sector 22B of Gurgaon as the news of the tragedy spread. A close friend of the family said Anuj had been posted in Assam for around seven months and had last spoken to him during Holi celebrations.

“He was cheerful and was telling me how he was celebrating Holi with his colleagues at the Air Force station. None of us imagined that it would be our last conversation,” the friend said.

Anuj’s father, Anand Kumar, left for Jorhat on Friday after reaching Guwahati earlier in the morning. Meanwhile, the pilot’s younger brother flew in from London to be with the family.

Anuj’s maternal uncle, Chander Prakash, a retired Haryana Police inspector, said the young officer had joined the Indian Air Force nearly a decade ago after completing his B.Tech degree. Before that, he had briefly worked with a private company.

“Just earlier this month, the family had started thinking about his marriage. They were planning to find a suitable match in the coming months and hoped to organise the wedding later this year,” he said.

The Indian Air Force, in a statement, expressed condolences over the loss of the two officers and said it stands firmly with the bereaved families in this difficult time.

The mortal remains of Squadron Leader Vashishth are expected to reach his Gurgaon residence on March 7, for the last rites.