Ajay Joshi
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, September 28
Even as the defence forces managed to retrieve the mortal remains of one of the pilots of the Ranjit Sagar chopper crash incident, the endless wait to receive his son “in whatever condition he is in” has taken a toll on the health of the parents of the missing pilot.
It has been 56 days since the bereaved parents are staying at the Mamun Cantt to hear any news about their son from the teams deployed for the search operation at the crash site. Harish Joshi, father of missing pilot Capt Jayant Joshi, has subsequently reached out to President Ram Nath Kovind to enhance efforts and procure high-end equipment to search his son.
Rudra WSI (Weapon System Integrated) Helicopter crashed into Ranjit Sagar lake on August 3. With Lt Col AS Bath and Capt Joshi, the chopper had left from Mamun Cantt for low-level sorties around the region, before it crashed into the reservoir after a technical snag. While Bath’s body was recovered after 12 days of the crash, the co-pilot is still missing.
Seeking personal intervention of the President, Harish Joshi said: “We appreciate the efforts of the Army and Navy personnel, but there is still no news about our son. We continue to hope and trust the defence forces’ capability and efforts to maintain the rigour of search so that we get our son back.”
His wife Col Jiwan Tara has been serving the Army for almost 40 years in the Military Nursing Service.
Army chopper crash: Missing pilot’s father urges Prez to intensify search
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