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‘Calm, composed, and fearless’: IAF pilot killed in Jaguar crash got married in 2020, welcomed a son last month

The IAF pilot, who belonged to the Kheri Sadh village in Haryana's Rohtak, joined the Indian Air Force in 2015.

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A view of the spot where an IAF Jaguar Trainer aircraft crashed during a routine training mission near Churu, on Wednesday. Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident. (ANI Video Grab)

Squadron Leader Lokender Singh Sindhu, one of the two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots who lost their lives in a Jaguar trainer aircraft crash in Rajasthan on Wednesday, became a father to a baby boy last month.

The 32-year-old Air Force pilot, who belonged to the Kheri Sadh village in Haryana’s Rohtak, joined the IAF in 2015, and was posted at Suratgarh in Rajasthan.

His final rites are scheduled to be performed in his native village with full state honours on Thursday evening.

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Sindhu married Surbhi, a doctor from Hisar, in 2020, and they had a son on June 10.

His grandfather B S Sindhu, a retired Army Havildar and former Excise and Taxation officer, said, “Lokender was my beloved grandson who always obeyed me. He was a calm, composed, and fearless boy.”

Also read | Churu crash: Why IAF continues to fly the vintage SEPECAT Jaguar

After completing his Class 12 from Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU)’s campus school in 2010, Lokender was taken to a Brigadier by his grandfather, where he filled out the NDA application form. The Brigadier offered guidance and encouragement, and Lokender cleared the NDA exam in his first attempt in 2011, reflecting his academic brilliance.

The youngest among three siblings, his elder sister Anshi served as a short-service commissioned officer in the Air Force. and now works in a private company. His elder brother, Gyanendra, is employed as an engineer.

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His family resides in Dev Colony, Rohtak. His father, Joginder Singh, retired from MDU in 2023, while his mother is a school teacher.

The crash, which claimed the lives of Squadron Leader Sindhu and Flight Lieutenant Rishi Raj Singh, marked the third Jaguar fighter jet accident since March this year.

The IAF said the aircraft was on a routine training mission when it met with the accident. “Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident. No damage to any civil property has been reported,” it said in the statement posted on X, adding that a court of inquiry would ascertain the cause.

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