NEW DELHI: Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar — one of the pilots killed in Assam’s Karbi Anglong in a Sukhoi crash — was part of Operation Sindoor.Speaking to reporters, Purvesh’s father, Ravindra Duragkar, remembered his son as a dedicated officer who was deeply committed to his country.He shared that he received the news of his son’s demise from the unit’s Group Captain.“Due to runway-related work in Tezpur, he was posted in Jorhat. He used to share about his work. He always tried not to make mistakes. His Group Captain has officially communicated to us that he (his son) is no more,” he said.As IAF officials tried to console the retired railway employee at his home in Nagpur’s New Subedar Layout, the grief-stricken father occasionally regained his composure to say that Purvesh took immense pride in flying a fighter jet.A neighbour told news agency PTI that Purvesh is survived by his parents and a sister settled in the US. Purvesh and his sister, an IITian, had come home ten days ago for a family get-together, the neighbour said. Ravindra also recalled the family function.“We had spoken on Wednesday. His Group Captain got in touch with us and informed us about the accident,” said Ravindra, his eyes welling up.The Indian Air Force (IAF) said the Su-30MKI was on a training sortie when it crashed in the Karbi Anglong area of Assam, around 60 km from Jorhat. The aircraft had lost radar contact at around 7.42 pm after taking off from Jorhat.Union defence minister Rajnath Singh also shared his condolences with the families of the two pilots killed in the IAF Su-30MKI crash in Karbi Anglong district of Assam.He wrote on X: “Deeply saddened by the loss of Sqn Ldr Anuj and Flt Lt Purvesh Duragkar in the tragic Su-30 crash. Their courage and service to the nation will always be remembered with pride and gratitude. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. The nation stands firmly with them in this hour of grief.”
