Rohtak: Two pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were killed on Wednesday in a crash of a Jaguar fighter jet near Churu in Rajasthan. These two pilots have been identified as 33-year-old Squadron Leader Lokendra Singh Sindhu and 23-year-old Flight Lieutenant Rishi Raj Singh.
According to a report by The Times of India, Squadron Leader Sindhu became a father a month ago. He was a resident of Haryana's Rohtak district. He was married during the COVID-19 pandemic, and her wife gave birth to a baby boy on June 10 in Hisar at her parental home.
Sqn Ldr Sindhu was commissioned into the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2016. He was reportedly the youngest among his siblings. The IAF pilot's elder brother is working in an MNC, while his sister is also an ex-IAF officer. She recently completed her tenure as a short-service commissioned officer, reported TOI. He was an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA).
The IAF said a court of inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident.
"An IAF Jaguar Trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan, today," it said in a brief statement.
Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident. No damage to any civil property has been reported," it said.
The IAF said it "deeply regrets" the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families in this time of grief.
"A court of inquiry has been constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident," it said.
Earlier, Rajasthan Police officials said the jet crashed at around 1.25 pm.
As per SHO of Rajaldesar, Kamlesh, human body parts were found near the crash site, reported PTI.
It was the third incident involving Jaguar aircraft. On March 7, a Jaguar fighter jet crashed following a system malfunction shortly after taking off from the Ambala air base. The pilot had maneuvered the aircraft away from any habitation on ground, before ejecting safely.
On April 2, another Jaguar jet crashed at a village near Jamnagar IAF station in Gujarat following a technical snag. The aircraft was on a training mission. One pilot was killed in the accident while the other sustained injuries.
Jaguar is a British-French fighter aircraft. It was originally deployed in the British Royal Air Force and the French Air Force. The first flight of the Jaguar took place on September 8, 1968. India started inducting the jet in the late 70s.
