Tragedy struck Uttarakhand on June 25, when 20 security personnel on a rescue mission, were killed in a MI-17 V5 chopper crash in Gaurikund. A proud nation salutes its brave soldiers who defied all the odds to save the lives of the people in distress.
Five IAF (Indian Air Force) were among the dead. They have been identified as Wg Cdr Darryl Castelino, Flt Lt. K Praveen, Flt Lt Tapan Kapoor, JWO A.K. Singh and Sgt Sudhakar Yadav.
Nine dead NDRF personnel who had gone from the ITBP, were identified as Commandant Nitya Nand Gupta (48, Kanpur), Inspector Bhim Singh (49, Kathua, J&K) Sub Inspector Satish Kumar (44, Bhiwani, Haryana), Constable K. Vinaygan (28, Chitoor, Andhra Pradesh), Constable Bassavaraj Yaragatti (31, Gadag, Karnataka), Constable Santosh Kumar Paswan (24, Koderma, Jharkhand), Constable Sanjiva Kumar (27, Balia, Uttar Pradesh), Constable Shashi Kant Ramesh Pawar (31, Dhulia, Maharashtra) and Constable Ahir Rao Ganesh (32, Jalgaon, Maharashtra).
The six ITBP personnel who laid their lives, included Commandant Nand Ram (27), Sub Inspector Jayender Prasad (55), Constable Jomon P.G. (26), Constable Bibhuti Roy (26), Constable Sarvesh Kumar (31) and Constable Ajay Lal (23).
