‘Not valour; it is state-sanctioned violence against our own’: Mother of IAF pilot killed in 2001 MiG-21 crash on recent Jaguar tragedy

“He died flying an aircraft that the rest of the world retired decades ago. An aircraft that, like the MiG-21, continues to haunt our skies, claiming the lives of our brightest and bravest, not because of enemy action, but because of our own apathy,” Gadgil underlined.

Flt Lt Gadgil had died on September 17, 2001, in an air crash involving a MiG-21 at Suratgarh in Rajasthan. “My son, Flight Lieutenant Abhijit Gadgil, died the same way. In 2001. Since then, over 340 Indian Air Force aircraft have crashed. Over 150 pilots have died. The numbers are horrific. The silence around them, even worse. And still, we carry on. No accountability. No reform. No outrage,” wrote Gadgil who lives in Pune.

“What we get instead is advice. From ministers and bureaucrats who speak loftily of innovation and ‘deep tech’ revolutions. Who blame young entrepreneurs and dreamers for not doing enough. While their own machinery, the PSUs, the defence research organisations, the state apparatus, continues to fail our armed forces, year after year,” she added.

Flt Lt Abhijit Gadgil with his two loves, his bike and his aircraft

After her son’s demise, Gadgil, husband Wing Commander Anil Gadgil (Retd) – he died in August 2019 – and elder son Kedar fought a long battle highlighting key safety concerns involving IAF’s ageing fighter jets. Her struggle served as an inspiration for the 2006 Amir Khan-starrer Rang De Basanti.

Gadgil further writes, “We talk of becoming a global power. We demand respect on the world stage. But we send our officers into ancient aircraft, patched-up machines flying on borrowed time and borrowed parts. And we call it valour. It is not valour. It is violence. State-sanctioned violence against our own. Siddharth was engaged. Ten days before the crash. He was building a life. And we gave him a coffin masquerading as a cockpit. I do not want your condolences… Do not salute their coffins and forget them by next week’s headlines… They deserved better. We owe them better…”

The Gadgil family’s battle for the safety of IAF’s fighters also involves conducting training through the two establishments founded by them – Abhijit Air Safety Foundation and its school Jeet Aerospace Institute.

Concluding her post, Gadgil wrote: “Because if we do not act, another mother will be writing this letter. Another home will be draped in a flag. Another boy will never come back. And another nation will shrug, and move on.”

In reponse to the crash that took place on April 2, the Indian Air Force, in an X post, had said, “An IAF Jaguar two seater aircraft airborne from Jamnagar Airfield crashed during a night mission. The pilots faced a technical malfunction and initiated ejection, avoiding harm to airfield and local population. Unfortunately, one pilot succumbed to his injuries, while the other is receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Jamnagar. IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.”