SHIVAMOGGA: A 36-year-old Junior Warrant Officer of the Indian Air Force from Shivamogga district died after his parachute failed to deploy during a training exercise at the Paratrooper Training School in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday.
The victim has been identified as GS Manjunath from Sankuru village of Hosanagara taluk in Shivamogga district.
He is survived by his parents Suresh GM and Nagaratna, wife Kalpitha Sakia, brother Yuvraj GS, and sisters Suvarna GS and Anusuya GS.
According to sources, Manjunath joined the Air Force in 2005 and has served in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, UP, and Delhi. He had been stationed in Agra for the last one-and-a-half months in the para jump division. Hailing from an agricultural family, Manjunath married Kalpitha from Assam in 2019, and the couple was expecting their first child.
The fatal incident occurred between 7 and 8 am on Friday during a para jump training session from a cargo aircraft at approximately 18,000 feet. While 11 jumpers completed their jumps safely, Manjunath’s parachute malfunctioned. The mortal remains of the soldier will be flown from Agra to Bengaluru. The body will then reach Mavinakoppa Circle in Hosanagara by 7.30 am on Sunday.