Pilot who died in Sukhoi Su-30 MKI crash was part of Op Sindoor, had spoken to father one day before mishap

Both pilots lost their lives in the crash

• Flight Lt. Purvesh died in Sukhoi Su-30 MKI crash in Assam
• He joined Operation Sindoor post-Pahalgam terror attack
• Purvesh served in the IAF for 4 years and was proud of his duty

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The Indian Air Force pilot who lost his life after a Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter jet crashed in Assam’s Karbi Anglong on Thursday had earlier taken part in Operation Sindoor, a military campaign launched last year following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar, 28, was among the officers involved in the operation. His father, Ravindra Duragkar, said the family only learnt about his participation some time after the operation had been paused.

"15 days after Operation Sindoor was paused did we get to know that he was part of the operation. He did not have his mobile phone with him during that time. We were not in touch with him during that time," he told the news agency PTI.

India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam carried out by The Resistance Front, which is a proxy of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba. During the operation, Indian security forces targeted several terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and killed more than 100 terrorists.

Following the strikes, Pakistan launched missile and drone attacks that were intercepted by Indian forces. India later carried out strikes on airfields in Pakistan before a ceasefire was announced on May 10.

Flight Lieutenant Purvesh had spoken to his father a day before the accident, Ravindra Duragkar said.

The pilot and Squadron Leader Anuj were flying a Sukhoi Su-30 MKI on a training sortie when the aircraft went missing shortly after taking off from the Jorhat airbase. Officials said contact with the Russian-origin fighter jet was lost at 7:42 pm. The crash occurred around 60 km from the base and both officers were killed.

“My son was extremely proud to be part of the Indian Air Force. He would sometimes share his experience of flying fighter planes and the speeds that IAF jets achieve. He held his colleagues in high regard,” Duragkar said.

He said that Flight Lieutenant Purvesh took "immense pride" in flying a fighter jet.

The officer was originally posted in Tezpur but had been operating from Jorhat while runway work was underway at the Tezpur airbase.

"My son sacrificed himself in the service of the nation. Everyone should take inspiration from him," Duragkar said.

"He achieved his dream, but he could not serve the nation as much as he wanted to. He had a short tenure of 4 years," he said.

Duragkar had travelled to his home in Nagpur, Maharashtra about ten days before the accident to attend a family gathering. He completed his schooling in Nagpur and was unmarried.

According to a neighbour quoted by PTI, he is survived by his parents and a sister who lives in the United States.