Sangli road junction to be named after ex-IAF pilot who saved former Odisha CM

Hailing from a small village on the outskirts of Sangli, Wing Commander Navale always aspired to get into the armed forces

Wing Commander Prakash Navale

The Municipal Corporation of Sangli Miraj and Kupwad City has decided to rename Akashwani Road junction in Sangli after Wing Commander Prakash Navale in recognition of his unwavering commitment to duty and courage in saving former Odisha Chief Minister J B Patnaik from violent Maoists in a crowd in an attack from 1980.

“A cyclone had devastated Odisha in 1980. To check its aftermath, J B Patnaik, the then Chief Minister of Odisha had asked us to take him to Gunupur village to assess the flood conditions. We reached there by 9 am. The weather was so bad that we referred to a railway track to reach the village. Over 5,000 villagers were gathered near the landing site. We expected that people would greet him, but to our surprise, after landing, as Patnaik left the helicopter, some Maoists from the mob targeted him, with the intent to end his life,” said Wing Commander Navale.

“They broke the windows of our Chetak helicopter with stones, damaged the rotor, stole material from the chopper and manhandled us. Our clothes were torn, and we sustained minor injuries. We somehow rushed Patnaik to a nearby police station and gave him a safe space. We were waiting for the crowd to pacify, but by then, it was around 4 pm. It is against the rules to operate a damaged helicopter, but we decided to take the risk and fly him back to Bhubaneswar. We tackled the Maoists and with the help of local police, somehow carried Patnaik into the helicopter and dropped him off at a nearby advanced landing ground (ALG) in Gopalpur from where he was taken to Bhubaneswar in a different plane,” said the retired Air Force officer.

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He added that if they had not taken the risk, all of them would have been killed by Maoists. “Though we broke some rules, we intended to save the chief minister’s life. I am glad that a road junction is being named after me while I’m alive. I give credit to the administration, MLA Sudhir Gadgil and Group Captain Shrikant Walwadkar to make this happen,” he said.

Group Captain Shrikant Walwadkar, President of Akhil Bharatiya Poorva Sainik Seva Parishad (West Maharashtra), said a proposal was submitted in October 2024 to the Sangli Municipal Corporation to consider Wing Commander Prakash Navale’s name for the Shaurya Chakra. The collector and the civic chief agreed and cleared the legal process to give his name due recognition immediately. “Soon, the new garden near Kaali Khan in Sangli will be named after Mahavir Chakra Pandurang Salunkhe,” added Group Captain Walwadkar.

“Navale, had an important role in J B Patnaik’s life. In recognition of his valour and unwavering courage, we are renaming the Akashwani Chowk on the Kolhapur Road after him,” said IAS Shubham Gupta, recently appointed Municipal Commissioner of Sangli-Miraj and Kupwad City.

Hailing from a small village on the outskirts of Sangli, Wing Commander Navale always aspired to get into the armed forces. He studied at the Sainik school in Satara after which he joined the Indian Air Force.

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His meritorious service was recognised with a Shaurya Chakra in 1982 and the Maharashtra Gaurav Award in 1990.

Retired and settled in Sangli with his wife, he still keeps himself fit and active despite the amputation of his left leg due to cancer.

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