Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja
Encyclopedia
Squadron Leader
Ajay Ahuja was a fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force
whose death under controversial circumstances in the 1999 Kargil War
in Kashmir
, was the cause of the most angry public conflagration between India
and Pakistan
at the time.
, Rajasthan
. He did his schooling from Saint Paul's Senior Secondary School, Mala Road Kota, a renowned missionary school for boys. He graduated from the National Defence Academy (India) and was commissioned a fighter pilot on June 14, 1985 in the IAF.
As a fighter pilot he toured on the MiG-23 fighter-bomber and MiG-21 variants, as well as instructional flying experience of over 1,000 hours spent teaching ab-initio pilots. Squadron Leader Ahuja was posted to the Killi Bhisiana Airbase at Bhatinda, Punjab, India in 1997. He had only just become the Flight Commander of Squadron No.17 Golden Arrows (a specialist photo-reconnaissance squadron), when the Kargil War
broke out in May–June 1999.
, a photo reconnaissance mission was launched over the Indian side of the line of control in Kashmir
. A member of the mission, Flt Lt Nachiketa ejected from his MiG-27L after an engine flame out. Sqn Ldr Ahuja stayed over enemy positions to help the rescue attempts knowing full well the existence of enemy surface-to-air missile
s in the area. However, his MiG-21MF fighter, C-1539, was hit by a shoulder-fired FIM-92 Stinger
. Ahuja gave a radio call – "Hercules, something has hit my plane, possibility of missile hit cannot be ruled out, I am ejecting over...(location).". IAF authorities lost track of his aircraft and all communication shortly afterward.
and Pakistan
in the early 1970s to maintain status quo in Kashmir.A post-mortem examination conducted by Indian military authorities claimed that Ahuja had landed safely after ejecting from his plane, but had been killed by Pakistani soldiers.
The Government of India lodged a protest with Pakistan's ambassador, accusing the Pakistani paramilitary forces of having fired at Ajay while still descending in his parachute. Pakistani authorities denied the accusations and suggested Ahuja was killed due to accidental injuries during the ejection or landing. No further investigations were carried out by either government nor impartial, outside entities and the case remains unresolved.
by an IAF plane. The body in a wooden coffin was brought to the local Air Force station from Srinagar by an Indian Air Force plane. Air Vice-Marshal
A. Sen, AVSM, accompanied the body which was received by local Station Commander Rakesh Kakker, and Ahuja's family members: Mr Parshotam Lal Ahuja, Mr Vijay Ahuja and Mr Sudhir Sachdeva. The body was taken to the MI Room where Ahuja’s widow, Alka Ahuja, received it.
Indian politicians were also present at the ceremony, as were hundreds of local people, as well as political activists. Angry public demonstrations broke out there, at Ahuja's cremation, which was particularly emotional for Ahuja's family, friends and the gathered public, and near the Pakistan
i embassy in Delhi
.
On August 15, 1999, India's 52nd anniversary of Independence, Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja was posthumously awarded the Vir Chakra
, one of India's highest gallantry honors for military personnel.
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Ajay Ahuja was a fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
whose death under controversial circumstances in the 1999 Kargil War
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
in Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
, was the cause of the most angry public conflagration between India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
at the time.
Early life and career
Ajay Ahuja was born in KotaKota, Rajasthan
Kota , formerly known as Kotah, is a city in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located south of state capital, Jaipur. Situated on the banks of Chambal River, the city is the trade centre for an area in which millet, wheat, rice, pulses, coriander and oilseeds are grown; industries...
, Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
. He did his schooling from Saint Paul's Senior Secondary School, Mala Road Kota, a renowned missionary school for boys. He graduated from the National Defence Academy (India) and was commissioned a fighter pilot on June 14, 1985 in the IAF.
As a fighter pilot he toured on the MiG-23 fighter-bomber and MiG-21 variants, as well as instructional flying experience of over 1,000 hours spent teaching ab-initio pilots. Squadron Leader Ahuja was posted to the Killi Bhisiana Airbase at Bhatinda, Punjab, India in 1997. He had only just become the Flight Commander of Squadron No.17 Golden Arrows (a specialist photo-reconnaissance squadron), when the Kargil War
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
broke out in May–June 1999.
War Operations
On May 27, 1999, as part of Operation Safed Sagar in KargilKargil District
Kargil is a district of Ladakh, Kashmir, India. Kargil lies near the Line of Control facing Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Baltistan to the west, and Kashmir valley to the south. Zanskar is part of Kargil district along with Suru, Wakha and Dras valleys...
, a photo reconnaissance mission was launched over the Indian side of the line of control in Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
. A member of the mission, Flt Lt Nachiketa ejected from his MiG-27L after an engine flame out. Sqn Ldr Ahuja stayed over enemy positions to help the rescue attempts knowing full well the existence of enemy surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
s in the area. However, his MiG-21MF fighter, C-1539, was hit by a shoulder-fired FIM-92 Stinger
FIM-92 Stinger
The FIM-92 Stinger is a personal portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile , which can be adapted to fire from ground vehicles and helicopters , developed in the United States and entered into service in 1981. Used by the militaries of the U.S...
. Ahuja gave a radio call – "Hercules, something has hit my plane, possibility of missile hit cannot be ruled out, I am ejecting over...(location).". IAF authorities lost track of his aircraft and all communication shortly afterward.
Circumstances of death
According to the data released by the IAF, Ahuja's aircraft had been within the Indian side of the Line of Control, a ceasefire line and pseudo-border agreed upon by IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in the early 1970s to maintain status quo in Kashmir.A post-mortem examination conducted by Indian military authorities claimed that Ahuja had landed safely after ejecting from his plane, but had been killed by Pakistani soldiers.
The Government of India lodged a protest with Pakistan's ambassador, accusing the Pakistani paramilitary forces of having fired at Ajay while still descending in his parachute. Pakistani authorities denied the accusations and suggested Ahuja was killed due to accidental injuries during the ejection or landing. No further investigations were carried out by either government nor impartial, outside entities and the case remains unresolved.
Return and cremation
On May 29, 1999, Sqn Ldr Ahuja's body was flown in from SrinagarSrinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
by an IAF plane. The body in a wooden coffin was brought to the local Air Force station from Srinagar by an Indian Air Force plane. Air Vice-Marshal
Air Vice-Marshal
Air vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
A. Sen, AVSM, accompanied the body which was received by local Station Commander Rakesh Kakker, and Ahuja's family members: Mr Parshotam Lal Ahuja, Mr Vijay Ahuja and Mr Sudhir Sachdeva. The body was taken to the MI Room where Ahuja’s widow, Alka Ahuja, received it.
Indian politicians were also present at the ceremony, as were hundreds of local people, as well as political activists. Angry public demonstrations broke out there, at Ahuja's cremation, which was particularly emotional for Ahuja's family, friends and the gathered public, and near the Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i embassy in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
.
Commemoration
Ahuja remains a great hero for Indians, and his widow and family are often honored guests at patriotic public events and official ceremonies. The family received much support from Government authorities and Indian political leaders, as well as emotional and financial support from people across India.On August 15, 1999, India's 52nd anniversary of Independence, Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja was posthumously awarded the Vir Chakra
Vir Chakra
Vir Chakra is an Indian gallantry award presented for acts of bravery in the battlefield. Award of the decoration carried with it the right to use Vr.C. as a postnominal abbreviation Vir Chakra is an Indian gallantry award presented for acts of bravery in the battlefield. Award of the decoration...
, one of India's highest gallantry honors for military personnel.
External links
- http://www.geocities.com/siafdu/ahuja.html (Archived 2009-10-24)