The wife of Squadron Leader Samir Abrol, who died from fatal injuries after an upgraded IAF Mirage-2000 fighter crashed in Bengaluru on February 1, has penned a moving note demanding answers after her husband’s untimely demise.
Taking to social media, she wrote “I am Garima Abrol…..I am the wife of Martyr Squadron Leader Samir Abrol….whose tears are still not dry…It still hasn’t sunk in that you are gone. No one has the answer to my questions. Why YOU? My husband was a proud Indian and i loved sending him off to serve the nation with a morning cup of tea and a head held high. (sic)”
Two test pilots -- Squadron Leader Samir Abrol from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh and Squadron Leader Siddartha Negi from Dehradun in Uttarakhand died after the fighter crashed while taking off from the military airport on an acceptance sortie after an upgrade by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).
The pilots, commissioned in the air force a decade ago, were on deputation as test pilots at the IAF's Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) in this tech hub from their respective air bases.
“Every soldier’s wife’s biggest fear in life is when her husband would be called to the front line and serve in an active war. I too had this fear. Many a times I woke up crying after having one such bad dream…But Samir would hold me, console me and tell me…that is the ultimate purpose of his job…to be able to serve our nation when the call comes…He wanted me to be brave, as that’s what he was, a brave soldier, patriot to the core (sic),” Garima said.
She also pointed out that the job of a soldier did not bring one fame or make them a celebrity.
“How many more of these pilots have to give up their life to shake you up and make you realise there is something really wrong in the system? A pilot is not made in a day, it takes a decade of training for their souls to get molded for the job. How many fighters have to give up their life for you to wake up? I do not want any other sister of the Armed Force family to suffer the pain that I am going through. Words can’t describe how painful it is out here alone without my better half. I need answers. Whilst its just another story and incident for some, i will keep fighting for the cause that took you away from me (sic),” Garima wrote.
Earlier this week, Samir’s brother had also written a touching note.
"We give our warriors outdated machines to fight, they still deliver it with all their prowess and might. Never had he breathed so heavy, as for the last time, while the bureaucracy enjoyed its corrupt cheese and wine,” Sushant Abrol wrote.
Sushant said that he penned the message as he was overcome by emotions while flying back with his brother's coffin. He said there were eight other officers on that flight and he saw tears in their eyes as they were his brother's course mates.
IANS inputs