AN-32 debris unearths painful memories for families

Rajendra Barpatte, father of Flight Lieutenant Kunal Barpatte — the AN-32 flight navigator — said the news of the debris being found brought back memories of the “worst phase” of his life and of questions that have remained unanswered. “I had hoped that such a report (on the finding of the debris) would bring closure to us. But I was wrong. It has brought back the memories of the worst phase of our lives. I got a call from the IAF officials yesterday informing me about the possible discovery of the debris,” said the 66-year-old, who retired as a scientist from Central Institute of Road Transport in Pune. Flt Lt Kunal, who was 27 years old, was from Pimpri Chinchwad in Maharashtra. He posted with the 33 Squadron of the IAF.

Three IAF officers from Haryana — Flight Lieutenant Deepika Sheoran of Loharu in Bhiwani, Flying Officer Pankaj Singh Nandal of Rohtak, and Flight Lieutenant Pushpender Badsara of Alakhpura village in Hisar — were also on the plane.

Pankaj and Pushpender were flying the aircraft while Deepika was on her way to report back to her unit in Port Blair.

When she found out about the discovery of the debris, Deepika’s mother Prem Lata was overcome with emotion. “Till now, Prem Lata had not believed that Deepika was no more. Whenever anyone mentioned anything about such a mishap, Prem Lata always asked for proof,” said Deepika’s father Dalip Sheoran, a retired executive engineer at the Haryana public health department.

Deepika had also been selected as a lieutenant in the Army but chose to join the IAF.

Flying Officer Pankaj Kumar Nandal’s family had been looking forward to his wedding, scheduled for November 13, 2016, when the plane went missing.

“We would like to wait for a formal communication from the government before commenting,” said Pankaj’s father Krishan, who retired from the Air Force as a Warrant Officer in 2001.   Pankaj, who had joined the Air Force in 2013, was a co-pilot of the AN-32 aircraft.

Anita Badsara, mother of Flight Lieutenant Pushpender Badsara, also sought confirmation: “I still have hope that my son will come one day.”

The family of Purna Chandra Senapati from Odisha, who had joined the Naval Armament Depot (NAD) in Visakhapatnam as a technician two years before the plane went missing, has not done his sudha kriya (a funeral ritual) because they believed he would come home, his brother Pratap Chandra Senapati said. “We are not ready to accept that he is dead unless we see his body,” said Pratap.

Charan Maharana from Sukunda village in Odish’s Ganjam district was also working with the NAD when he boarded the AN-32 in 2016. His sister Susmita Maharana said the accident shattered their family.

“Charan had been a very brave boy since childhood. My mother thinks he is alive and will return one day,” she said.

Also among the 29 were two from Kozhikode district in Kerala. At Kakkodi village in Kozhikode, Padmavathi, the mother of I P Vimal, an engineer who was 31 at the time of the incident, has not yet come to terms with the loss. “The vacuum created by the tragedy is still felt. Every day, she goes to a nearby temple and prays,” her neighbour M T Rajesh said.

Vimal’s wife Reshma, also a native of Kozhikode, now works at a hospital in Bahrain. Vimal had worked with the Army’s Engineering wing for 14 years and was posted in Port Blair three months before the mishap. It was his maiden flight to Port Blair; he had made previous trips by ship.

Sajiv Kumar, 38, who had been a petty officer in the Navy for 18 years, was the other man from Kozhikode on the plane. He had been stationed in Port Blair for two years. At Kakkoor village, Kumar’s father Rajan, a farmer, died a year ago. “I don’t want to give this news to my mother,” Kumar’s younger brother Aji said. Kumar’s wife Jessina recently got a job at the Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala in Kannur, where she is now with their daughter.

Reporting by Sushant Kulkarni in Pune, Sukhbir Siwach in Chandigarh, Sujit Bisoyi in Bhubaneswar and Shaju Philip in Thiruvananthapuram