The mortal remains of Wing Commander Namansh Syal, the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot who tragically lost his life in the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) crash at the Dubai Air Show on November 21, were consigned to flames with full military honours on Sunday at his native village, Patialkar in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district.
Thousands of villagers, family members, IAF personnel, and civil officials gathered to pay their last respects to the decorated officer.
Father Mourns a ‘National Loss’
During the emotional final rites, Wing Commander Syal’s father, Jagan Nath Syal, a retired Army veteran and former school principal, spoke about his profound grief, framing his personal tragedy as a loss for the entire country.
- Statement on Loss: “It is not just my personal loss; it is the nation’s loss,” Jagan Nath Syal stated. “The country has lost an ace pilot, and I have lost a young son. Very few people get the honour of serving the country.”
- Recollection of Excellence: He fondly remembered his son’s extraordinary achievements and dedication, saying, “He always excelled and never disappointed us.”
- Final Conversation: Jagan Nath Syal recalled the last conversation he had with his son before the tragic crash, where Namansh asked his father to watch his aerial display performance on YouTube. Tragically, the father learned of the crash while searching for videos of his son’s performance online.
A Heartbreaking Farewell
Wing Commander Syal’s mortal remains were first flown from Dubai to the Sulur Air Force Base in Tamil Nadu, where he was posted, before being brought to his ancestral village on Sunday afternoon in a special Air Force aircraft.
- Tributes: Syal’s wife, Wing Commander Afshan, also an IAF officer, was present in her uniform and paid a poignant final salute to her husband’s flag-draped casket, with their six-year-old daughter close by.
- Community Grief: Patialkar village witnessed an overwhelming outpouring of grief. Hundreds of people lined the route, chanting patriotic slogans like “Jab Tak Suraj Chaand Rahega, Nammu Tera Naam Rahega” (As long as the sun and moon exist, your name will remain, Nammu), reflecting the respect the community held for him.
A Distinguished Career
The 34-year-old officer was remembered across the defence community as an exceptional pilot and a high achiever from the start of his career:
- Academic Excellence: Syal was an alumnus of Sainik School Sujanpur Tira and a graduate of the National Defence Academy (NDA).
- Sword of Honour: His colleagues and schoolmates recalled that he was the best in his batch and was the Academy Cadet Adjutant (ACC) at the NDA, where he won the President’s Silver Medal in overall merit.
- Flying Record: Commissioned in 2009, he was an instructor and had an exemplary service record, having flown aircraft like the MiG-21 before transitioning to the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft.
The Indian Air Force paid its own solemn tribute, remembering him for his “unwavering commitment, exceptional skill and an unyielding sense of duty” in a post on X. Investigations by the Indian government and Dubai authorities are currently underway to determine the cause of the crash.