Slogans for his long afterlife rented the air as the coffin of Flight Lieutenant Advidtya Bal arrived at his home in Jinder Mehlu hamlet of border belt of RS Pura where thousands of people gathered to pay their last respects to the fighter pilot.
The latest fatal MiG-21 crash in the Indian air force has resulted in the grounding of the remaining 70 aircraft in their inventory and looking to the West to replace Russian weapons as the war in Ukraine disrupts their supply chain.
Bal s family members expressed regret saying he died while flying an "ailing" aircraft" instead of "fighting enemies". They urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to immediately retire the entire fleet of ageing MiG-21 jets so that no more lives are lost. IAF MiG-21 Crash: Fighter Pilot Advitiya Bal Cremated with Full Military Honours in Jammu and Kashmir s RS Pura.
Two pilots were killed on Thursday evening when an Indian Air Force MiG-21 jet crashed during a training sortie in Rajasthan's Barmer - Wing Commander M Rana and Flight Lieutenant Advitiya Bal.