‘It was his dream to serve in IAF’: Mothers mourn loss of sons killed in Jorhat plane crash

ONe fuss remembers her boy smiling during a unawares picture call in, while another clings to a photograph he shared from inside an aircraft, after an Indian Air Force (IAF) AN-32 cargo aircraft crashed while landing at the Air Force Station in Assam's Jorhat on Saturday, killing five people, including their sons.The exact cause of the accident has not yet been determined. Air Force officials said an investigation is under way to find out what led to the crash.Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar from Bihar's Jehanabad and Agniveervayu Danish Alam from Bhojpur were among those killed in the crash. The deaths of Kumar (25) and Alam (22) left their villages in deep sorrow, as residents mourned the loss. Flt Lt Shubham Kumar's family recalls final callFamily members said the flight lieutenant had spoken to his mother through a video call from Banwariya village in the Jehanabad district of Bihar at around 9 am on Saturday."Kumar looked cheerful and normal. He said that he was in a hurry and would speak at length later," a family member recalled while speaking to news agency PTI.The son of farmer Pappu Sharma from Banbariya village in Jehanabad's Hulasganj area, Kumar joined the Indian Air Force after completing his training at the National Defence Academy in 2017.His marriage was fixed for November this year. He had travelled to his village in the first week of April to take part in his grandmother's shraddh rituals and had resumed duty only 10 days ago, HT had reported earlier.His younger brother, Satyam, said the family first heard about the crash at around 11 am but struggled to accept the news. They only came to terms with the tragedy after repeated calls to his phone went unanswered and officials later confirmed his death.People in his village remember him as a humble young man who remained connected to his roots and greeted everyone warmly whenever he returned home on leave.'It was his dream to serve in IAF': Mother of Agniveervayu Danish AlamIn Kayamnagar village of Bhojpur district in Bihar, Danish Alam's family is holding on to a final photograph he sent from inside an aircraft on Saturday morning.His mother, Akhtari Begum, told the news agency: “He had spoken to us over a video call on Friday evening, and he seemed very happy.Begum fainted after receiving the news, while his father, Mohammad Farooq Alam, who works in the Giddha industrial area, was left speechless and stared blankly as people attempted to speak to him.On Saturday morning, he sent us a photo of himself sitting inside an aircraft. We later went to the Ara market, and while we were there, news of the crash reached us. We rushed back home.”Alam was her only son. She has two daughters."It was his dream to serve in the Indian Air Force. He planned his studies on his own and worked hard to achieve that goal," Begum said.Friends and local residents described him as a determined young man who carried the hopes of his family.His friend Sujit Tiwari appealed for financial help to the family."Alam was the family's biggest support. His elder sister is yet to be married, his mother remains unwell, and the family has very limited means."His father works in a private job, earning around ₹10,000 a month. We hope the government extends assistance to them," Tiwari said.Mortal remains brought backAs news of the accident reached the two villages, residents mourned the loss while also taking pride in the service of the young men who wore the uniform.The mortal remains of both personnel were taken to their native villages on Sunday and were given full military honours.A massive crowd, including residents from surrounding villages, gathered to pay their respects to Kumar.Thousands of people gathered in Agniveervayu Danish Alam's native village and raised slogans of 'Saheed Amar Rahe' as his mortal remains arrived home.With inputs from PTI