27 Feb Mi-17 crash in Kashmir's Budgam: 22-year-old Kashmiri youth who died while rescuing pilots

Budgam (Jammu and Kashmir): As Indian fighter planes scrambled to chase intruding Pakistani fighter jets on 27 February, news of an Mi-17V5 helicopter of the Indian Air Force crashing in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir flashed on TV channels. The Mi-17 had taken off 10 minutes before it crashed at 10.10 am killing all six onboard, including an IAF personnel and a civilian, Kifayat Hussain Ganaie. While the IAF initially cited ’technical snag' as cause of the crash, they later told families of the personnel that more information will emerge once the investigation into the case is completed in “10 to 15” days. However, no one has given any answers to Zamrooda Begum, mother of the 22-year-old Kifayat, a brick kiln worker who lost his life after as he rushed towards the blazing chopper to rescue the pilots after it had crashed. A resident of Garaendh Kalaan village, Kifayat was hanging out with his friends around 10 am on 27 February when the group saw the helicopter crash near them. One of those young men, Abid Hussain, said that while all of them ran away from the burning helicopter which had split into two, Kifayat didn’t. He said Kifayat ran towards it and implored his friends to help evacuate the pilots. [caption id=“attachment_6223571” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Seven persons, including a civilian, were killed when Mi-17 helicopter crashed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam on 27 February. Firstpost/Sameer Mushtaq[/caption] “Wait! We can save the pilots,” Abid recalled his last words. “There was an explosion that left everyone numb. After some time when we went closer, nothing was visible. The spot was enveloped in smoke and dust, and the debris of the aircraft was scattered all over. As soon as the dust settled, we moved towards the aircraft and saw a charred body. At first, we thought it was the pilot but we soon recognised it was Kifayat, with one of his legs missing.” Zamrooda recalled the last time she saw her son alive — he left telling his mom that he will be back soon after meeting his friends. About half an hour later, she said a loud blast was heard in the village and it shook everything up. She said someone shouted that an army chopper had crashed and soon after, a boy came and broke the news that “my son had died in the accident while trying to rescue the pilots.” She was unconsolable as she kept wailing, “Myaani Gobro, mouj lejyo.” (Oh my dear son, come back. Mother loves you." Kifayat’s sister Dilshada Bano said she was urgently called to her parents’ house but she did not know for what. “When I reached here, they told me my brother was dead.” Kifayat was only three when his father died. Apart from Dilshada, Kifayat has another sister, Afroza Jan and a young brother Bashir Ahmad Ganaie. Afroza is differently-abled. Kifayat was the lone breadwinner for the family. His uncle Mohammed Ashraf lauded Kifayat’s fortitude and the way he took responsibility of his family at a young age. Kifayat’s friend Bilal Ahmad described him as a kind and simple person. He said even though there’s a lot of anger among the youth (in Kashmir) against the government, Kifayat would never partake in it as he knew that if he got sucked into it his family would suffer. He said Kifayat cared deeply for his family. Budgam station house officer Mohammad Rafique said police have spoken to multiple eyewitnesses, all of whom said Kifayat died while trying to rescue the pilots. He said police are investigating the matter. Though more than a week has passed since the mishap, there’s no word on if the administration acknowledges Kifayat’s bravery or plans to pay a compensation to his family. Author is a Budgam-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com