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.

He has left behind his father, wife, and their two-year-old daughter.

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.


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.

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.