Bicycle Expedition to commemorate supreme sacrifice made by 5 Air Warriors in 1977 concludes

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : Air Headquarters Communication Squadron, a unit under the aegis of Western Air Command, Indian Air Force,  conducted a cycle expedition to commemorate the supreme sacrifice made by the Air Warriors of the unit on November 4, 1977. On the ill-fated day, five air warriors of the IAF’s elite Communication Squadron sacrificed their lives saving the life of the then Prime minister Morarji Desai on crash landing the TU-124 jet while flying from Delhi to Jorhat.

The pilots were Wg Cdr Clarence D’Lima , Wg Cdr Joginder Singh , Sqn Ldr Mathew Cyriac, Sqn Ldr VVS Sankar, and Flt Lt OP Arora.

The expedition was flagged-off from the crash site in Jorhat on January 27, 2020, by Gp Capt Saurabh Shiv, Commanding Officer, Air Headquarters Communication squadron, and Ex-MP R K Khrimey, Member National Foundation for Communal Harmony MHA, who was a survivor of the crash.

The team led by Wing Commander Irfan Washid Khan Jarial included Sqn Ldr A  Sahu and eleven other air warriors of the unit, who traversed through five states cycling a distance of approximately 2,500 km. Along the route, the team interacted with local youth to create awareness about the Indian Air Force. The spirit of adventure portrayed through the expedition is a befitting tribute to commemorate the ultimate sacrifice made by the Men in Blue, according to a PIB release.

The team was flagged-in on February 14, 2020, at Air Force station Palam by Commodore Commandant of the Squadron, Air Commodore SP Singh in the presence of Air Cmde Alok Sharma, Air Officer Commanding, Air Force Station Palam, and included R K Khrimey and veterans of the unit.