State announces ₹12-lakh relief, job for Wing Cdr Dhillon’s family member
cabinet minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot handed over a cheque for ₹5 lakh to the family of Wing Commander Mandeep Singh Dhillon, commanding officer of the Tezpur-based Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) unit, killed, while on a rescue operation in Arunachal Pradesh on July 4.
The government has announced a total ex gratia of ₹12 lakh and a government job for a member of his family .
Attending the ‘antim ardaas’ at Gurdwara Moti Bagh Sahib in Patiala on Sunday, Dharamsot said the government was committed to ensure the well-being of families of armed forces personnel killed in the line of duty. He lauded the role of Wing Cdr Dhillon in rescuing 169 people from landslide-hit areas, before his helicopter crashed.
“This is a sad day for any father, but I am proud of my son as he saved many lives,” said Sqn Ldr PS Dhillon (retd), the officer’s father.
“My husband would always volunteer for such rescue and relief missions ahead of others. He just wanted to help others in every possible way,” his wife Prabhpreet Kaur Dhillon said.
Remembering her last conversation with her husband, she added, “That day, I wanted him to take our daughter to the Station Medicare Centre as she was running fever. He said he had to go for a flood-relief mission. In the process of saving other lives, he lost his own life.”