In a heart-wrenching turn of events, a phone call from a police station in Pathanamthitta, Kerala, delivered news that had been long awaited for 56 years and eight months. Thomas received the call confirming that his elder brother, Thomas Cherian, whose fate had remained a mystery since an Indian Air Force aircraft crash in 1968, had finally been found.
Cherian, an army craftsman, was one of 102 passengers on board an AN-12 aircraft that disappeared while navigating treacherous weather over the Rohtang Pass, which connects Himachal Pradesh to Indian-administered Kashmir. The aircraft went off the radar, and for decades, it was listed as missing.
The search for answers began to bear fruit in 2003, when a team of mountaineers discovered the body of one of the passengers. Over the years, army search missions recovered eight more bodies, culminating in the recent recovery of Cherian’s remains along with three others. These bodies were found at an altitude of 16,000 feet near the Dhaka glacier.
For Thomas Thomas, the moment was monumental. “The suffocation of 56 years had suddenly evaporated,” he told BBC Hindi, expressing the overwhelming relief of finally receiving closure. Cherian was just 22 years old when he vanished, en route to his first posting in the Himalayas.
Cherian’s status was officially changed from missing to dead in 2003, yet the pain of uncertainty lingered for his family. “Our father died in 1990 and our mother in 1998, both waiting for news about their missing son,” Thomas recalled.
The recent recovery was made possible through advanced search techniques. The army’s Dogra Scouts and the Tiranga Mountain Rescue team utilized satellite imagery, drones, and a Recco radar to locate the bodies amidst harsh conditions. The Recco radar, capable of detecting metallic objects buried up to 20 meters deep, helped identify debris from the aircraft, leading to the discovery of Cherian’s body.
Identification was aided by a nametag on Cherian’s uniform and a document found in his pocket. On October 3, officials presented his coffin, draped in the Indian flag, to his family, marking a bittersweet moment of remembrance and farewell.
The emotional toll of losing loved ones in such circumstances echoes through the families of other soldiers whose remains were recently recovered. In Uttarakhand, Jaiveer Singh is grappling with the loss of his uncle, Narayan Singh. His family had nearly lost hope, with his mother passing away in 2011, still holding onto the belief that her husband might return.
As families across the region navigate their grief and relief, the stories of these soldiers remind us of the enduring sacrifices made for the country and the emotional weight of waiting for closure. Thomas Thomas and others like him may finally breathe easier, but the memories of those lost will forever remain etched in their hearts.
ALSO READ: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan Refutes Governor’s Allegations As “Contrary To Facts”
