Latest news with #Sonika
India Gazette
15 hours ago
- General
- India Gazette
U'khand chopper crash: Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau to carry out probe
Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], June 15 (ANI): The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will investigate Sunday morning's helicopter crash near Gaurikund in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag District, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated. The DGCA further said that, in light of the crash, the frequencies of helicopter operations to Char Dham would be reduced as a precautionary measure. Enhanced surveillance and operational reviews are also being carried out by DGCA. 'Today, Aryan Aviation Bell 407 helicopter VT-BKA operating flight on sector Shri Kedarnath ji- Aryan Helipad, Guptkanshi, was involved in an accident. There were five passengers, one infant and one crew member on board. The helicopter took off at 05:19 hours for Guptkanshi and crashed near Gaurikund,' DGCA said providing details of the crash. Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Department (UCADA), Sonika, stated that helicopter shuttle services in the area had been closed given the ongoing relief operations and weather conditions in the valley . Sonika further stated that the District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) will reach the site soon. 'Since the rescue operation is underway and seeing the weather conditions in the valley, our shuttle services have been closed. Almost all the helicopters are involved in the rescue operation. DM and SSP will also reach the site soon,' Sonika told ANI. 'At around 5:30 AM, we got the information that a helicopter, which was going from Shri Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi, could not be located. After some time, it was learnt that it had crashed near Gaurikund. Rescue operation is underway, SDRF teams have reached the spot. A total of 6 passengers and one pilot were on board the helicopter...' she further said. All seven people onboard the helicopter, including the pilot, that crashed near the forested area of Gaurikund early today are feared dead, the State Disaster Response Force said. According to preliminary information, the helicopter operated by Aryan Aviation crashed due to inclement weather. (ANI)
India Gazette
15 hours ago
- General
- India Gazette
7 killed in Uttarakhand chopper crash: SDRF
Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand) [India], June 15 (ANI): All seven people, including the pilot on board a helicopter which crashed near the forested area of Gaurikund in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district early on Sunday morning died on spot, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) said. The Aryan Aviation Helicopter was flying to Guptkashi from the Kedarnath Dham when it crashed at 5:30 am today. The deceased have been identified as Captain Rajbir Singh Chauhan (39), resident of Jaipur, Vikram Rawat (47) a Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee representative and resident of Rasi, Vinod Devi (66), resident of Uttar Pradesh, Trishti Singh (19), resident of Uttar Pradesh, Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal (41), resident of Gujarat, Shraddha Rajkumar Jaiswal and Kashi (2), resident of Maharashtra. Rescue teams were immediately dispatched under the direction of SDRF Commander Arpan Yadav. The incident spot was located in a very inaccessible and dense forest area, where a fast-paced and coordinated rescue operation was carried out by the joint teams of SDRF, NDRF, and local police. Rescue teams worked in inclement weather to retrieve the bodies of the deceased. Furthermore, the bodies will be brought down to the road by the SDRF team. Employees of BKTC gathered at all the offices of the temple committee and expressed condolences at the demise of BKTC employee, Vikram Rawat, the Shri Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee spokesperson, Harish Gaur said. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a virtual high-level meeting with senior officials from the CM residence after the helicopter crash. State Chief Secretary, Disaster Management Secretary, UCADA CEO, Garhwal Commissioner and other senior officials were present in the high-level meeting. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will investigate the crash, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated. The DGCA further said that, in light of the crash, the frequencies of helicopter operations to Char Dham would be reduced as a precautionary measure. Enhanced surveillance and operational reviews are also being carried out by DGCA. 'Today, Aryan Aviation Bell 407 helicopter VT-BKA operating flight on sector Shri Kedarnath ji- Aryan Helipad, Guptkanshi, was involved in an accident. There were five passengers, one infant and one crew member on board. The helicopter took off at 05:19 hours for Guptkanshi and crashed near Gaurikund,' DGCA said providing details of the crash. Chief Executive Officer of Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Department (UCADA), Sonika, stated that helicopter shuttle services in the area had been closed given the ongoing relief operations and weather conditions in the valley. Sonika further stated that the District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) will reach the site soon. 'Since the rescue operation is underway and seeing the weather conditions in the valley, our shuttle services have been closed. Almost all the helicopters are involved in the rescue operation. DM and SSP will also reach the site soon,' Sonika told ANI. 'At around 5:30 AM, we got the information that a helicopter, which was going from Shri Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi, could not be located. After some time, it was learnt that it had crashed near Gaurikund. Rescue operation is underway, SDRF teams have reached the spot. A total of 6 passengers and one pilot were on board the helicopter...' she further said. (ANI)
India Gazette
15 hours ago
- General
- India Gazette
"Extremely sad": Rajasthan CM grieves loss of Jaipur pilot, pilgrims in Uttarakhand chopper crash
New Delhi [India], June 15(ANI): Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Sunday stated that the loss of life of a pilot from the State and other devotees in the helicopter crash in Uttarakhand's Kedarnath is extremely 'sad'. In a social media post, the Rajasthan CM said, 'The news of the loss of life of the pilot from Rajasthan and other devotees due to the helicopter crash in Kedarnath is extremely sad. May Baba Kedar give place to the departed souls in his feet and provide strength to the bereaved families to bear this lightning strike.' Earlier this morning, seven people, including the pilot on board a helicopter were killed after the chopper crashed near the forested area of Gaurikund in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) said. The Aryan Aviation Helicopter was flying to Guptkashi from the Kedarnath Dham when it crashed at 5:30 am today. The deceased have been identified as Captain Rajbir Singh Chauhan (39), resident of Jaipur, Vikram Rawat (47) a Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee representative and resident of Rasi, Vinod Devi (66), resident of Uttar Pradesh, Trishti Singh (19), resident of Uttar Pradesh, Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal (41), resident of Gujarat, Shraddha Rajkumar Jaiswal and Kashi (2), resident of Maharashtra. Rescue teams were immediately dispatched under the direction of SDRF Commander Arpan Yadav. The incident spot was located in a very inaccessible and dense forest area, where a fast-paced and coordinated rescue operation was carried out by the joint teams of SDRF, NDRF, and local police. Rescue teams worked in inclement weather to retrieve the bodies of the deceased. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a virtual high-level meeting with senior officials from the CM residence after the helicopter crash. State Chief Secretary, Disaster Management Secretary, UCADA CEO, Garhwal Commissioner and other senior officials were present in the high-level meeting. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will investigate the crash, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated. The DGCA further said that, in light of the crash, the frequencies of helicopter operations to Char Dham would be reduced as a precautionary measure. Sonika further stated that the District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) will reach the site soon. 'Since the rescue operation is underway and seeing the weather conditions in the valley, our shuttle services have been closed. Almost all the helicopters are involved in the rescue operation. DM and SSP will also reach the site soon,' Sonika told ANI. 'At around 5:30 AM, we got the information that a helicopter, which was going from Shri Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi, could not be located. After some time, it was learnt that it had crashed near Gaurikund. Rescue operation is underway, SDRF teams have reached the spot. A total of 6 passengers and one pilot were on board the helicopter...' she further said. (ANI)
Time of India
18 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Uttarakhand chopper crash: Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau to carry out probe
A helicopter operated by Aryan Aviation crashed near Gaurikund in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag District, resulting in the presumed death of all seven people on board. The AAIB will investigate the accident, prompting the DGCA to reduce helicopter operation frequencies to Char Dham and enhance surveillance. Shuttle services have been suspended due to rescue operations and adverse weather conditions. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will investigate Sunday morning's helicopter crash near Gaurikund in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag District, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA ) DGCA further said that, in light of the crash, the frequencies of helicopter operations to Char Dham would be reduced as a precautionary surveillance and operational reviews are also being carried out by DGCA."Today, Aryan Aviation Bell 407 helicopter VT-BKA operating flight on sector Shri Kedarnath ji- Aryan Helipad, Guptkanshi, was involved in an accident. There were five passengers, one infant and one crew member on board. The helicopter took off at 05:19 hours for Guptkanshi and crashed near Gaurikund," DGCA said providing details of the Chief Executive Officer of Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Department (UCADA), Sonika, stated that helicopter shuttle services in the area had been closed given the ongoing relief operations and weather conditions in the valley .Sonika further stated that the District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) will reach the site soon."Since the rescue operation is underway and seeing the weather conditions in the valley, our shuttle services have been closed. Almost all the helicopters are involved in the rescue operation. DM and SSP will also reach the site soon," Sonika told ANI."At around 5:30 AM, we got the information that a helicopter, which was going from Shri Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi, could not be located. After some time, it was learnt that it had crashed near Gaurikund. Rescue operation is underway, SDRF teams have reached the spot. A total of 6 passengers and one pilot were on board the helicopter..." she further seven people onboard the helicopter, including the pilot, that crashed near the forested area of Gaurikund early today are feared dead, the State Disaster Response Force to preliminary information, the helicopter operated by Aryan Aviation crashed due to inclement weather.
Indian Express
06-06-2025
- Indian Express
In Ghaziabad, an interfaith love story and a three-year-old marriage, interrupted
They were neighbours, went to the same school, and fell in love six years ago. On August 29, 2022, the couple went to the office of the District Magistrate in East Delhi and married under the Special Marriage Act. Yet, on May 24, Akbar Khan, 29, and Sonika Chauhan, 25, by then married for three years, were reduced to their only identity – their faith. On May 25, Sonika's father, Laxman Singh Chauhan, went to the Indirapuram police station in Ghaziabad district of UP and accused Akbar of kidnapping his daughter and wrongfully confining her. A day later, the Ghaziabad Police first arrested Akbar's two sisters, a sister-in-law, a neighbour and then, him. While Akbar and his two sisters are now in judicial custody, the others were released a week later. The couple's friends and Akbar's family members say the 'two were together all the time' so the relationship didn't come as a surprise. 'It was a colony romance. Sonika and Akbar grew up at Nyay Khand in Indirapuram and went to the same school in Khoda (Ghaziabad). Later, when Akbar joined Shyam Lal College in Shahdara, Sonika shifted to Vigyan Vihar School in Indirapuram,' says Ashish Bisht, 23, a common friend of the couple. After college, Akbar, along with his brother Mohammad Arif, ran a couple of Jan Sewa Kendras (community centres that provide essential public services such as Aadhaar, PAN etc) in Indirapuram, and Sonika, after working at an established salon chain in Delhi, set up her own beauty parlour next door to Akbar's shops. In 2022, the two got married under the Special Marriage Act. Akbar's family shared photographs, which they claimed were taken after the wedding, in which Sonika's brother, 23-year-old Sahil, is seen with the couple. Sonika's father, however, says he has no idea of their relationship or that they were married. 'I only knew of Akbar as Sonika's acquaintance. I got to know of the marriage only on May 24,' he says. While Sonika's father didn't reveal the circumstances which led to him 'finding out' about her relationship or marriage to Akbar, Praveen Nagar, an 'active member' of the Bajrang Dal and RSS in Indirapuram, says, 'On May 23, we got to know of this interfaith couple and went to the police around 8.30 pm. I was among those at the police station.' The FIR was registered the following day. Akbar's family says they always knew the two were a couple. 'We were not even surprised when they told us they wanted to get married,' says Akbar's brother Arif, 31, the eldest of four siblings. Akbar's family originally belonged to Bihar's Purnia district and had shifted to UP's Ghaziabad almost 40 years ago, while Sonika's family hailed from Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal. 'It was sometime in 2013 or 2014 that we got to know about their relationship. They have been together since childhood – first in the same colony, then the same school. We never objected… Sonika was like our family,' says Arif. In 2014, Akbar's mother died of asthma. Five years later, his father died during a hernia operation. 'That was a tough time for our family, and Sonika stood with Akbar throughout,' says Arif. He says both families celebrated all festivals together as they lived merely a kilometre apart in Indirapuram. 'They would be at our house every Eid, and we would be at their house every Diwali. There was never an issue of religion, until some dharm ke thekedar (contractors of religion) found out about their relationship now. For three years after they got married, there was no trouble,' Arif says. The unravelling The FIR lodged by the Indirapuram police, however, presented a different picture. In his complaint, Sonika's father Chauhan claimed, 'On Saturday (May 24), at 6 pm, my daughter, who works at a salon, was kidnapped by Akbar and his brother Maksad Khan, who confined her inside their shop next door. When my wife and I reached Akbar's shop, four to five women of his family caught hold of us while Akbar and Maksad told us to get our daughter married to Akbar or they would kill us.' Chauhan further alleged that Akbar then ran away with his daughter from the shop. 'My daughter is scared of Akbar's threats and is under pressure from him,' Chauhan told police. On May 25, the Ghaziabad Police registered an FIR under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections related to, among others, wrongful confinement, kidnapping and rioting against Akbar, Maksad Khan, and four to five unidentified women. Police then raided Akbar's house in Indirapuram and arrested four women. They later arrested Akbar and 'handed over' Sonika to her parents. Neighbours say the family, along with Sonika, have since moved to their house in Pauri Garhwal. Before Akbar's arrest, a video of the couple shot inside a moving car surfaced. In the video, Sonika is seen saying, '… He is my husband, Akbar… For the last nine years, we have been together. Three years ago, we got married under the Special Marriage Act. Though my parents had an inkling about it, today… they thrashed me. I am scared, this is why I am leaving to live with my husband.' She says no action should be taken against Akbar's family or her own. 'No action should be taken against my husband's family. I don't want any action against my family either. I am going with my husband of my own accord.' When contacted on May 27, ACP (Indirapuram) Abhishek Srivastava had said they acted promptly once the FIR was lodged. 'We recovered Sonika from Ghaziabad and handed her over to her parents after due process. We also arrested Akbar and his two sisters based on the complaint from Sonika's father… The woman (Sonika) has been sent for a medical examination. She will record her statement before the magistrate in the next two to three days.' Arif, however, says, 'Police never recovered Akbar and Sonika. They surrendered to the police.' He shared a video purportedly showing the couple outside the residence of Ghaziabad's Police Commissioner. An attack follows A day after his arrest, Akbar's shop was attacked. On at least two WhatsApp groups — Indirapuram Yuva Morcha and Uttarakhand Samaj Adhikarik — a call was issued to the 'Hindu Parivar' to assemble outside Akbar's shop on May 26. 'The instances of love jihad are on a constant rise in Indrapuram… to stop the incidents of love jihad and demonstrate the unity of Hindus, we have to gather at the shop of Akbar at around 7 pm,' read one such message. 'We have to take to the streets to protect the honour of our daughters.' A group of around 60 men then attacked Akbar's shop and allegedly vandalised it. Police lodged an FIR against 50-60 unidentified men on May 27 under BNS sections related to rioting, among others. Speaking to The Indian Express, DCP (Trans-Hindon), Ghaziabad, Dasarath Nimish Patil said that though 10 men were identified in the case related to the attack on Akbar's shops, there were no arrests. 'They will be arrested soon,' he says. The Ghaziabad Police is yet to present Sonika before the Ghaziabad district court. 'The investigation is ongoing. We will present her before the court when she is ready,' DCP Patil said. Akbar and his two sisters continue to be in jail. Neetika Jha is a trainee reporter with The Indian Express, Delhi. She covers crime, health, environment as well as stories of human interest, in Noida and Ghaziabad. When not on the field she is probably working on another story idea. On weekends, she loves to read fiction over a cup of coffee (cold coffee if it is summer). The Thursday Murder club and Yellow face were her recent favourites. She loves her garden as much as she loves her job. She is an alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. ... Read More
