Squadron Leader Abhimanyu Rai’s mother pays tributes at crash site in Medak
Chitralekha, who has her son's portrait tattooed on her right hand, said Abhimanyu was working as an instructor for flight cadet Vu Van Thien, a Vietnamien, on a Swiss-made Pilatus PC-7 Mark-II aircraft that crashed at Ravelli on December 4.
Medak: Squadron Leader Abhimanyu Rai’s mother Chitralekha Rai on Wednesday reached the crash site at Ravelli in Toopran, where her son had died in a trainer aircraft crash on December 4 last year. Wednesday was Abhimanyu’s 34th birthday.
Chitralekha Rai came from Dehradun to Ravelli and paid floral tributes to Abhimanyu, who was her only son, at the crash site and at a memory stone that was laid close to the site. Chitralekha said she would strive to develop a Smruthi Vanam in memory of her son close to the crash site at her own expense, if local officials permitted her. Local officials assured to take her request to the notice of higher officials.
Chitralekha, who has her son’s portrait tattooed on her right hand, said Abhimanyu was working as an instructor for flight cadet Vu Van Thien, a Vietnamien, on a Swiss-made Pilatus PC-7 Mark-II aircraft that crashed at Ravelli on December 4.
The family has a long military background, with Abhimanyu’s father being a retired group captain in the Indian Navy while his father-in-law was a Vice-admiral with the Indian Navy. Abhimanyu’s wife Akashitha Rai is a flight lieutenant in IAF, Hyderabad. Chitralekha said she would visit the crash site on her son’s birthday every year.
Stating that Abhimanyu had successfully flew the aircraft, which developed a technical snag, away from the residential area to save civilians, Chitralekha said she was proud of her son. Abhimanyu and Thein had taken off from the Dundigal Air Force Station on December 4 and died in a crash a few minutes before 9 am.