Father of AN-32 navigator Flt Lt Kunal: ‘Our questions remain unanswered’

27-year-old Flt Lt Kunal, whose family is from Nigdi area of Pimpri Chinchwad, was a navigation officer posted with the 33 Squadron of the IAF, which is a transport squadron under the Southern Air Command and is located at Air Force Station Sulur in Tamil Nadu. Flt Nt Kunal was the flight navigator on the AN 32 that went missing on July 22, 2016.

“I had hoped that such a report would bring closure to us. But I was wrong. It has brought back the memories of the worst phase of our lives,” Barpatte (66), who retired as a scientist from Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT) in Pune told The Indian Express on Friday.

“Even till date, we have not gotten answers to the questions that we have been raising. What exactly went wrong in the aircraft because of which it crashed? Who is responsible for this failure and the loss of 29 lives? And then there are very serious questions about the ageing fleet of the AN-32 transport aircraft in the IAF,” he adds.

The Indian Express had reported that Barpatte had received a letter from IAF on August 26, 2016, seeking their consent for presumption of demise of their son.

Barpatte and his wife Vidya, along with the family members of six other IAF officers who were on the ill-fated plane, had refused to sign the letter.

On September 15, the IAF had declared that all the 29 persons on board were presumed dead. The IAF had, however, said that search for those missing will continue.

Rajendra Barpatte says he has written to the IAF and Ministry of Defence several times in the past seeking answers and has never gotten any satisfactory replies.

The Barpatte family went through another ordeal over the last few years.

They were cheated of Rs 39 lakh on the pretext of helping them purchase land to set up an education institute in memory of Flt Lt Kunal.

In August last year, the Pimpri Chinchwad police booked two persons for cheating in this case.

Rajendra Barpatte had plans to set up a technical and vocational training education institute as a tribute to son, who wanted to set up such an institute sometime in his life.

The suspects had made an agreement with Barpatte and received Rs 59 lakh from him. Of the funds received, the accused gave Rs 10 lakh to the original landowner and used another Rs 10 lakh sale related formalities. However, they failed to execute the sale deed for the land and resulted in loss of Rs 39 lakh to Barpatte, the officials had.

The police had later arrested the two suspects.