Himachal Pradesh mourns the demise of its son, who was serving the nation at the rank of Wing Commander in the Indian Air Force and lost his life during a demo flight of HAL’s Tejas at the Dubai Air Show on Friday afternoon. An atmosphere of sadness hangs over the Patiyalkar village in Tehsil Nagrota Bagwan of Kangra district as news spread of 34-year-old Wing Commander Naman Syal's tragic death in the Tejas aircraft crash.
Not only Himachal Pradesh, but the whole nation is in grief after hearing about the mishap. Wing Commander Syal is survived by his wife (who is also an IAF officer), his 6-year-old daughter, and his parents.
Locals and relatives soon started gathering at Wing Commander Syal’s ancestral home, soon after they heard the news of his death.
Syal was full of life, a brilliant child: Villagers —
Mehar Chand, a villager, expressing his grief and talking about the deceased IAF officer, said, "All of us are very sad to know about this accident. People are visiting their houses to show solidarity and express their grief. The family is not here, but the extended family members are here. He was a brilliant child, and we are proud of him."
Another resident, Madan, said, "We cannot accept that someone so full of life and courage is no longer with us. The entire village is sad and shattered."
"Yesterday evening, my brother from Delhi told me about this unfortunate accident, and the entire village is very sad. His wife is in Chennai. His mortal remains will reach Chennai by evening. The last rites will be held here in Patiyalkar village," Shashi Dhiman said.
Lekhraj, another villager, said, "Naman was our village's son. He was a wing commander on a very good post. He represented our village on the national stage. His death is a huge loss not just for his family but for the whole region. The entire village is grieving."
IAF informed about this unfortunate incident — the death of the Pilot — after a Tejas aircraft crashed and burst into flames at the Dubai Air Show 2025, in a post on X, adding that a court of inquiry is being constituted to determine the cause of the accident in which the pilot succumbed to fatal injuries.
Pictures and videos of the incident are making the rounds on the internet.
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