Kashi mourns IAF flight engineer’s death
Vishal is the third person from UP to be killed
VARANASI: Pall of gloom descended on the house of Indian Air Force assistant engineer Vishal Pandey in Varanasi on Thursday soon after family members came to know that he was also among those killed in Mi17 helicopter crash at Budgam in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.
Vishal was the third person from Uttar Pradesh to be killed in the crash while the other two being Deepak Pandey of Chakeri in Kanpur and Pankaj Singh of Mathura.
His Lucknow-based elder brother Vikas Pandey said he received a call from the air force confirming his brother’s death in the crash, on Wednesday evening. A senior air force officer also visited his house on Thursday.
Top administrative officials, including chief development officer and in-charge district magistrate Gaurang Rathi, and superintendent of police (rural) Martand Prakash Singh reached his house in Hukulganj area of the city on Thursday and consoled his kin. Vikas said he joined the Indian Air Force in 2005 as a flight engineer. Vishal visited his home on December 4, 2017 to attend the marriage ceremony of his sister.
“Vishal was third among the siblings. He was deployed in Srinagar,” he said.
Vishal’s father-in-law Prof Ravi Pandey said the death was an irreparable loss to both the families.
Prof Pandey said the government should provide permanent job to Vishal’s wife Madhavi so that she could look after and educate the children properly.
Vishal’s body was brought to his house in Varanasi later in the night. His last rites were performed with state honours at Harishchandra ghat.