My son’s body was not in the coffin: Father of Sukhoi pilot
QUESTIONS REMAIN Father of IAF’s Achu Dev who was killed in a fighter crash alleges coverup attempt, says though officials said his body was beyond recognition, wallet was intact
The father of the deceased Sukhoi pilot has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian Air Force chief Birender Singh Dhanoa demanding a high-level probe into the death of his son Achu Dev.
Flight Lieutenant Achu Dev (26) and Squadron Leader D Pankaj were killed after their Sukhoi 30 fighter jet crashed along the India-China border on May 23. The wreckage of the aircraft was recovered after three days and mortal remains of both were later flown to their respective destinations.
“There was no body in the coffin. I was told my son’s body was burnt beyond recognition. But the wallet recovered from the body was only slightly damaged. It is difficult to believe how the wallet was retrieved without any damage,” father VP Sahadevan, a retired employee of the ISRO, told the Hindustan Times.
In the wallet currency notes and his banks cards were intact, he said, adding there were no scientific evidences to corroborate his son’s death.
“It seems there are some attempts to cover up something. As long as I get strong evidence it is difficult for me to believe my son is dead. For me he’s still alive,” the father said. Though the IAF had ordered a court of inquiry, he wanted an independent probe into the mishap.
The SU 30 jet with two pilots took off from the Tezpur airbase around 9.30am on a routine training and surveillance mission. It lost radar and radio contact around 11.10 am near Doulasang in Arunachal Pradesh, an area adjoining the China border.
Kerala opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and CPI(M) secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan sought the defence minister’s intervention. CPI(M) MP A Sampath said he would take up the issue with the PM’s office.