A Community in Mourning: The Kedarnath Helicopter Crash

The city of Jaipur fell into mourning as family, friends, and fellow soldiers gathered to say goodbye to Lieutenant Colonel (Retd.) Rajveer Singh Chauhan — the pilot who tragically lost his life in a helicopter crash near Kedarnath on June 15.

Among the sea of tearful faces, one moment stood still and broke hearts across the nation. Walking at the front of the funeral procession was his wife, Lt Colonel Deepika Chauhan. Clutching a framed photo of her husband close to her chest — wrapped in red and yellow cloth and adorned with a garland — she moved slowly, every step heavy with the weight of love, loss, and memories. She tried to hold back her tears, but her silence spoke volumes — of strength, heartbreak, and the kind of courage that comes from loving someone who never made it home.

This wasn’t just the funeral of a soldier — it was the farewell of a husband, a son, a friend, a man who had once sworn to protect others and continued doing so, even after his time in the Army had ended.

Rajveer, 35, had been flying a helicopter for Aryan Aviation, ferrying pilgrims between Kedarnath and Guptkashi. On that fateful morning, sudden fog swept through the valley. "The weather changed rapidly," said District Tourism Officer Rahul Chaubey. "The pilot tried to navigate out of the valley, but the helicopter couldn’t make it."

The crash killed everyone on board — seven lives lost in seconds.

There was Rajkumar Jaiswal from Maharashtra, just 41, with his wife Shradha and their two-year-old daughter, Kashi. A young family with dreams that would never be lived.

Also among the victims were 66-year-old Vinod Devi and her 19-year-old granddaughter Tusti Singh, and Vikram, 46, a temple committee member who had dedicated his life to serving Kedarnath Dham.

But it was Deepika’s quiet strength that left a mark on so many. She, too, is a Lieutenant Colonel — a soldier — but this moment wasn’t about uniforms or ranks. It was about a wife walking behind her husband for the last time, holding a photograph where she once held his hand.

As the city bowed its head, what remained was the story of a man who flew through storms, and of a woman who now walks through one — not with defeat, but with grace.

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