A native of Ponnukkara in Kerala's Thrissur district, Indian Air Force's junior warrant officer Pradeep Arakkal lost his life in the Mi-17V5 chopper crash near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday (December 8). CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 10 others too died in this tragic incident.
It was a day that shook India. An IAF Mi-17V5 chopper crashed near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, ending the lives of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others on board. Among those who died in the unfortunate crash was a 37-year-old junior warrant officer of the Indian Air Force, Pradeep Arakkal. A native of Ponnukkara in Kerala's Thrissur district, Pradeep was part of the force's team that played a crucial role in the rescue operations during the 2018 devastating floods in the state. Commissioned into the IAF in 2004, Pradeep was the flight gunner of the crashed chopper.
In 2018, Pradeep Arakkal was on duty in Kerala when the floods ravaged the coastal state. Pradeep voluntarily took up the task to be part of the rescue efforts. He was part of the rescue team that received appreciation from President Ram Nath Kovind. The state government also honoured this junior warrant officer for being part of the rescue mission that airlifted thousands of people during the 2018 Kerala floods. Apart from the floods, Pradeep was also involved in the Uttarakhand rescue mission and several operations against Maoists in Chhatisgarh.
Pradeep Arakkal was posted for duty six months ago at Coimbatore's Sulur airbase. Four days before Wednesday's tragic accident, Pradeep Arakkal was back home in Kerala celebrating his son's birthday. The junior warrant officer was also there to visit his ailing father, Arakkal Radhakrishnan, who is on life support due to chronic pulmonary disease. According to reports, Pradeep had called his mother Kumari on Tuesday to inform her about his VIP chopper ride to Defence Services Staff College in Wellington. Less did he know that this would be Pradeep's last call to his mother. He is survived by his wife, Sreelakshmi and two sons Dakshin Dev, 7, and Devaprayag, 2.
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