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‘Salute You Forever': Wife Bids Farewell To Pilot Husband Killed In Kedarnath Chopper Crash
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The tragic crash occurred early on June 15 when a helicopter belonging to Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd went down above the forests of Gaurikund in Uttarakhand amid dense fog.
Heartfelt visuals from Shastri Nagar captured a moment of profound grief as Lt Colonel Deepika Chauhan stood in uniform to bid an emotional farewell to her husband, Lt Colonel Rajveer Singh Chauhan, during his final rites. Draped in the national flag and surrounded by fellow officers and mourners, the coffin of Capt Chauhan, who was piloting the ill-fated helicopter that crashed near Kedarnath, was received with full military honours.
The tragic crash occurred early on June 15 when a helicopter belonging to Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd went down above the forests of Gaurikund in Uttarakhand amid dense fog and near-zero visibility. All seven on board were killed, including five pilgrims, an employee of the Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee, and the pilot, Capt Rajveer Singh Chauhan.
District Tourism Development Officer and heli service nodal officer Rahul Chaubey confirmed that the helicopter was reported missing shortly after takeoff and a search operation was launched immediately. The poor weather is believed to have caused disorientation and led to the crash.
The deceased included Shraddha Rajkumar Jaiswal (35) and a two-year-old child, Kashi, both from Maharashtra; Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal (41) from Gujarat; Vikram Singh Rawat from Uttarakhand; Vinood Devi (66) and Tushti Singh (19) from Uttar Pradesh; and the pilot, Capt Rajveer Singh Chauhan.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on X that the State Disaster Response Force and other agencies had been deployed for relief and recovery efforts.
The incident came just days after the catastrophic Air India flight AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad, which claimed the lives of 241 passengers and crew members, and several people on the ground. Together, the two tragedies have cast a long shadow over India's aviation safety and prompted renewed calls for stricter oversight of private and commercial aviation operations.
