Flight Lieutenant Siddharth Yadav, who lost his life in a Jaguar fighter jet crash near Jamnagar, Gujarat, was cremated with full military honours in his native village of Bhalaki Majra on Saturday. The 28-year-old Indian Air Force officer was remembered as a courageous and selfless patriot, with tributes pouring in from across the country.
A solemn air gripped the village as mourners gathered to pay their last respects. Among them was Yadav’s fiancée, Saniya, who was seen weeping inconsolably during the funeral. The couple had recently gotten engaged and were due to marry on November 2.
"Please let me see his face once... I am proud of him," Saniya cried, her grief echoing the heartbreak of a wedding that will now never be.
Yadav died on April 2 when the Jaguar fighter jet he was flying suffered a technical malfunction during a night training mission. Though the pilots initiated emergency procedures, Yadav succumbed during the incident. According to preliminary Air Force reports, he remained with the aircraft to steer it away from populated areas, potentially saving many lives.
His body was brought to his family’s new home in Rewari early Saturday morning. A funeral procession followed, culminating in a ceremonial cremation attended by military officials, family, and villagers. The Indian Air Force honoured him with a reversed arms salute and ceremonial gunfire.
His mother, Sushila Yadav, stood proud in her sorrow. “He was not afraid. My entire family has served in the armed forces. I sent him into the forces knowingly. I urge every mother to send their children to serve the country,” she said, her voice filled with both pain and pride.
His father, Sushil Yadav, a retired Air Force officer himself, revealed that Siddharth had aspired to one day become the Chief of Air Staff. “He left home talking about the wedding. The bookings were done. I was told he could have ejected but stayed to save civilians. That’s who he was—always leading from the front,” he said.
Flight Lieutenant Yadav represented the fourth generation in his family to serve the nation. His great-grandfather served in the Bengal Engineers during British rule, his grandfather in the paramilitary forces, and his father in the Air Force.
The Indian Air Force continues to investigate the technical issues that led to the crash. In the meantime, the nation mourns the loss of a young life dedicated to duty, courage, and sacrifice.