He was planning son’s birthday party, now we are planning his funeral: Kin of IAF corporal killed in Poonch attack
Poonch terror attack
Corporal Vikky Pahade was killed in the attack. (PTI/Inset);
Corporal Vikky Pahade wanted to throw a birthday party for his five-year-old son next month and was in touch with a cousin back home in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh to work out the details.
On Saturday, the 33-year-old Pahade died of bullet injuries at the Command Hospital in Udhampur, hours after militants attacked an IAF convoy in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. Four other IAF personnel were injured in the attack.
“The whole family was eagerly waiting for his return. His son’s birthday is on June 7. Now, we are planning his funeral… the whole family is in disbelief,” Rajkumar Gonekar, Pahade’s cousin, told The Indian Express.
Pahade’s body is expected to reach home Monday. “Two officers have been sent, they are planning the routes,” Gonekar said.
Attack on army vehicle
Poonch: Security personnel stand guard after a militant attack on army vehicles, in Poonch district, Saturday, May 4, 2024. A search operation is going on in the woods amid inputs about the presence of the militants. (PTI Photo)
Pahade last came home around a fortnight ago to attend the wedding of one of his three sisters.
According to his family members, Pahade joined the IAF in 2011. It was his father Dimak Pahade’s dream. “His father died when he was young. So my brother worked very hard to realise his father’s dream. He studied very hard to become a soldier,” said Gonekar.
“Over the years, the family managed to get the three sisters married. Everyone was settled and were looking towards a peaceful life after all that struggle. Now everyone is broken, his mother has gone into shock,” the cousin said.
Poonch
One of the trucks in the convoy bore the major brunt of the attack, with several bullets piercing its front and side windscreen in the firing by the terrorists. (Express photo)
In a post on X, the IAF offered condolences to the family. “The CAS Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari & all personnel of Indian Air Force salute the braveheart Corporal Vikky Pahade, who made the supreme sacrifice in Poonch Sector, in the service of the nation. Our deepest condolences to the bereaved family. We stand firmly by your side in this hour of grief,” it said.
As the family members prepare for the last rites, they said they are proud of Pahade’s last moments, fighting the militants. “We just want the government to support us during this time. We are very proud of our brother who was martyred fighting for his country. I just hope the family receives the same support from the administration and politicians in the coming few weeks,” Gonekar said.
Pahade’s body will be brought to Nagpur in neighbouring Maharashtra by a special IAF plane, Superintendent of Police Manish Khatri was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. The body will then be brought to Chhindwara by road. The last rites will be performed with guard of honour, Khatri said.
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