Air Force Squadron Leader Ninad Mandavgane perished in a Mi-17 V5 shopper crash in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district on Wednesday along with 5 other IAF officers.
![](https://wp.scoopwhoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/5c7a63a8da1a27035598981c_c0cc9335-2bb9-471c-9989-8aeb48664269.jpg)
He has left behind his father, wife, and their two-year-old daughter.
![](https://wp.scoopwhoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/5c7a63a8da1a27035598981c_5e922943-d1d6-405a-84e4-db45db622204.jpg)
His body was first brought to Ojhar airport from New Delhi by a special IAF plane. Later, his body was taken to his hometown Nashik, where he was given a 21-gun salute.
![](https://wp.scoopwhoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/5c7a63a8da1a27035598981c_3dc0ba90-6688-4513-98c2-72d29f33b714.jpg)
A massive crowd had gathered to bid farewell to the officer and started chanting ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ when his body arrived at the crematorium.
![](https://wp.scoopwhoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/5c7a63a8da1a27035598981c_29e50150-0575-43b4-9bca-67dba91a4032.jpg)
According to the Times of India, the late officer’s wife Vijeta then said that ‘slogan-shouting’ and screaming ‘zindabad or murdabad’ will not make any difference.
She said:
If you really want to do something, join the defence forces. Or encourage someone in your family to do so. If that is not possible, small things could help – keep your surroundings clean, don’t litter, don’t urinate in the open, and do not harass women. Stop spreading communal hatred. Small gestures go a long way.
She also said that her husband’s soul would rest in peace knowing that his family was safe.
![](https://wp.scoopwhoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/5c7a63a8da1a27035598981c_66e1f51f-4f89-4866-bd66-346c5cbb030a.jpg)
Her statement should be loud and clear, especially at a time when war-mongering masquerading as nationalism seems to be taking over our collective consciousness.
Top picks for you