BHUBANESWAR: Junior Warrant Officer (JWO) of Indian Air Force (IAF) Rana Pratap Das, who lost his life along with CDS Bipin Rawat and 11 others in the tragic chopper crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday was from Odisha.
The gunman, a native of Krishnachandrapur village in Angul district, was part of the technical crew that flew with the CDS, his wife and other defence officials.
"My relative Rana Pratap Das from Talcher, Odisha lost his life in the tragic helicopter crash. We all are saddened by his untimely demise. He will always be remembered for his contribution," tweeted his brother-in-law Sankalp Kumar Das.
The JWO is survived by his wife, one-year-old son and his elderly parents. He was serving the IAF for over a decade. Family sources said his mortal remains will be brought to his ancestral village for last rites.
A pall of gloom descended in the village after the death news spread. Condolences poured in from different quarters will people expressing their grief
following the sad demise.
"While the country is yet to come to the terms with the unfortunate chopper crash yesterday, I also mourn the demise of JWO Rana Pratap Das, who lost his life along with Gen Rawat, his wife and other defence personnel. Das was from my hometown in Talcher," tweeted Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Meanwhile, a condolence motion was brought in Odisha Assembly on Thursday to pay tributes to the departed CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other defence officials who lost their lives in the tragic helicopter crash.
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