A pall of grief has descended over Bihar’s Jehanabad district following the death of Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar in the AN-32 transport aircraft crash at Jorhat Air Force Station in Assam on June 13.
Remembering her final conversation with her son, his mother, Poonam Kumar, said she had spoken to him on the morning before the accident and had no idea it would be their last exchange.
“I spoke to him yesterday morning. He told me that he was going on a mission. I didn’t receive a call later, and then I got the news that the aircraft had crashed,” she said.
Struggling to come to terms with the tragedy, she recalled that her son had recently returned home after a family bereavement. He had arrived on May 5 and left on May 29.
“I never thought my son would leave and never return,” she said.
Flight Lieutenant Kumar, a resident of Bawaria village in Jehanabad district, was the sole breadwinner of the family. His untimely death has left relatives, friends and residents of the village in mourning. Family members said discussions regarding his marriage had also been underway before the tragedy.
On June 14, the Indian Air Force transported the mortal remains of the deceased personnel to their native places for their last rites with full military honours.
The AN-32 transport aircraft crashed while attempting to land at Jorhat Air Force Station during a routine sortie. The Indian Air Force confirmed that five personnel lost their lives in the accident and expressed condolences to the bereaved families.
The deceased were identified as Squadron Leader Prashant Singh, Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar, Sergeant Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat and Agniveervayu Danish Alam.
The Indian Air Force has expressed deep sorrow over the loss of the personnel and has ordered an investigation to ascertain the cause of the crash.
