‘He died saving others ‘: Op Sindoor aircraft crash victim’s family in Bathinda awaits job one year after death
The family of Raj Kumar Singh — a daily wage labourer who died from injuries sustained in the explosion — is still waiting for a government job that could give them a stable footing.
Raj Kumar Singh, a daily wage labourer who died from injuries sustained in the explosion in Operation Sindoor (Express photo) A year after a military aircraft crashed in fields near Akalia Kalan village in Bathinda during Operation Sindoor, the family of Raj Kumar Singh — a daily wage labourer who died from injuries sustained in the explosion — is still waiting for a government job that could give them a stable footing.
The Punjab Government provided only Rs 2 lakh compensation to the victim’s family, against Rs 10 lakh given for a similar death in Ferozpur.
Raj Kumar Singh, a resident of Kothe Natha Singh Wale in Mehma Sawai, was injured on May 7 last year when the aircraft came down in nearby fields.
He had rushed to the site along with other villagers and was helping to extinguish the fire when the aircraft exploded. He died later at AIIMS, Bathinda, from severe head injuries.
In the months that followed, his wife Paramjit Kaur formally applied for government compensation. The family eventually received Rs 2 lakh, divided equally among four members — Kaur, their two children, and Singh’s mother.
However, in a similar case, the state government has given Rs 10 lakh in compensation to the family of an individual who died in a drone attack in the border district of Ferozepur on May 9, 2025.
Paramjit Kaur, afflicted with a chronic knee condition, cannot work. Their elder child, Jagmeet Singh, now in Class 11, leaves for school each morning and heads to work in the evening to keep the household going. Their younger child, Gagandeep Kaur, is still in school. The family survives on the widow’s pension that Kaur and the children receive.
The family had demanded a government job for one family member. That demand has not been met.
“He died helping others. We are not asking for charity, we are asking for a chance to stand on our feet,” said Paramjit Kaur.
A General Diary Detail police report of May 11, 2025, corroborates the incident. According to a statement recorded in the report by the victim’s younger brother Virval, the deceased had stayed overnight at the fields where he worked and was among the villagers who rushed to assist after the aircraft crashed and caught fire. He was reportedly helping others extinguish the flames when the aircraft exploded, injuring several people, including Singh and his son Jagmeet.
The Diary Detail further notes that the explosion occurred accidentally. No foul play has been reported, and the family has declined to pursue legal action against anyone involved. Based on a statement from the deceased’s brother, officers had initiated proceedings under Section 194 (investigating death) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
Raj Kumar Singh’s death was one of two civilian fatalities recorded in the Bathinda district linked to the aircraft crash. Govind Kumar, 32, a farm labourer from Haryana who had come to Bathinda for seasonal work, died at the crash site. He is survived by his wife, Mamta, and two young children.
“We are not aware if Govind’s family received any compensation. The government must give a job to my brother’s family. We are daily wagers. We had to do legwork to get Rs 2 lakh compensation. The government itself should have provided the compensation and a job, as it was not a mistake of my brother that he was killed on that day,” said Virval, brother of the victim.
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