A pall of gloom descended on Patialakad village and the entire Nagrota Bagwan area in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district after Wing Commander Namansh Syal, 34, of the Indian Air Force, was martyred when the indigenous Tejas fighter aircraft crashed during a practice sortie at the 19 th Dubai Air Show on Friday afternoon.

Related news: Pilot from Himachal's Kangra dies as Tejas fighter jet crashes at Dubai Air Show

Wing Commander Syal, known for his discipline and exceptional service record, was posted at the Hyderabad airbase. He is survived by his wife Afsaan, also an Indian Air Force officer, and their five-year-old daughter.

His father, Jagan Nath, a retired Army officer who later served as a principal in the Himachal Pradesh Education Department, and his mother Bina Devi were i

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