Odisha CM, others pay floral tributes to IAF officer died in chopper crash

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik paid floral tribute to IAF officer Rana Pratap Das who died in a tragic chopper crash in Tamil Nadu.

Soon after the mortal remains of Odia Jawan reached Bhubaneswar in the noon, the airport reverberated with the slogan ‘veer jawan amar rahe’.

Patnaik offered flowers on body of Rana Pratap Das to bid farewell after personnel of 120 Battalion paid guard of honour to the departed soul.

Many political leaders including Niranjan Pujari, Ashok Panda, bureaucrats, Odisha DGP Abhay and Police Commissioner Saumendra Priyadarshi paid their last respects to Rana Pratap Das.

The ambulance carrying the mortal remains of Das later headed for his native Krushnachandrapur under Kundala panchayat of Talcher area in Angul district where he will be cremated with full military honours.

Rana Pratap Das, who was a Junior Warrant Officer in the IAF, had been serving the nation for the last 12 years. He was among 13 persons including General Bipin Rawat, who were on board the Mi17V5 helicopter that crashed in a forest area around 7 km from Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on December 8.

The late IAF official had married three years ago. He is survived by wife and 1-year-old son.