Squadron Leader Anuj Vashishth (left) perished in the Sukhoi Su-30 MKI crash in Assam on Thursday; a look at his house in Gurgaon (right) on Friday. (Express photo)
On Friday afternoon, friends and relatives of Squadron Leader Anuj Vashishth gathered at the family’s three-storey home in Gurgaon’s Sector 22B. The 33-year-old’s mother doesn’t know he perished in the Sukhoi Su-30 MKI crashin Assam on Thursday.
“She [Anuj’s mother] was only told that her son’s jet crashed yesterday and he escaped with the help of a parachute but was injured,” said a man, claiming to be a close friend of the family, who did not wish to be named.
Earlier in the day, the Indian Air Force (IAF) confirmed that Anuj and Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar (27) lost their lives after the aircraft crashed in Assam on Thursday evening. The fighter jet, which was on a routine training mission, crashed around 60 km from Jorhat, from where it had taken off, in the hilly terrain of Karbi Anglong district.
“His father and mine were like brothers, and so were we. I last spoke to him during Holi, he described how he was spraying colours on his Air Force colleagues at the station there. I did not know it would be our last conversation. He was posted in Assam for about seven months. The family has been living here [in Gurgaon] for decades,” the friend added.
He said Anuj’s father, Anand Kumar, left for Jorhat by road after flying to Guwahati early Friday morning. His younger brother flew in from London in the afternoon.
Chander Prakash, Anuj’s maternal uncle and a retired Haryana Police Inspector, said his nephew had joined the IAF about 10 years ago.
“He had done his B.Tech from a nearby college and joined TCS as well, but soon got into the Air Force. Just earlier this month, the family had started thinking of getting him married… they wanted to find a match in the coming months and have the wedding later this year,” he said.
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The body is expected to arrive at the family home for the last rites on Saturday.
In a statement issued on Friday morning, the IAF said: “IAF acknowledges the loss of Sqn Ldr Anuj and Flt Lt Purvesh Duragkar, who sustained fatal injuries in the Su-30 crash. All personnel of the IAF express sincere condolences, and stand firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief.”
Abhimanyu Hazarika is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Gurgaon. He covers southern Haryana.
Education
- Post-Graduate Diploma in Print Media, Asian College of Journalism (Class of 2020)
- B.A. (Hons) Liberal Arts with a major in Political Science, Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (Class of 2019)
Professional Experience
Before joining The Indian Express, he worked with Bar & Bench (legal journalism) and Frontline magazine, where he developed experience in court reporting, legal analysis, and long-form investigative features.
Reporting Interests
His work centres on civic accountability, environmental policy, urban infrastructure and culture, crime and law enforcement, and their intersections with politics and governance in and around Gurgaon.
Recent Coverage (2025)
- Crime: Reported on the recovery of 350 kg of explosives and an AK-47 from a rented house in Faridabad, linked to the 2025 Red Fort car explosion case (November 11, 2025).
- Environmental policy: Covered protests outside a Haryana minister’s residence against a Supreme Court order that environmentalists argue could allow mining and real estate development on large parts of the Aravalli hills (December 21, 2025).
- Pollution control measures: Co-authored coverage of the Rekha Gupta government’s enforcement of vehicle restrictions at Delhi-NCR borders (December 21, 2025).
- Road safety and infrastructure: Examined response lapses in the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway hit-and-run case and ongoing investigations into high-speed road crimes in Gurugram.
- Animal welfare policy: Reported on concerns regarding the low budget allocated for stray dog sterilization by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (November 30, 2025).
- Urban culture: Featured the social media-driven popularity of a new Magnolia Bakery outlet in Gurugram (December 15, 2025).
Contact
X (Twitter): @AB_Hazardous ... Read More
