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Pilot's family leaves for cremation in Goa

Sridhar Kumaraswami, New Delhi * Oct 1 HT

LUNCH WAS about to be laid out at the Dutta household when the news of the
mid-air collision of the two IL38 reconnaisance aircraft of the Indian
Navy in Goa flashed across television screens.

At first, there was no reaction. But as the flickering images of the
debris came into focus, Saroj Dutta just sank into the nearest chair while
her husband KK Dutta moved closer to the television.

"Arre, that is Sonu's plaine," she cried.

Just then the phone rang. It was a long-distance call from Goa. It
confirmed the worst fears of the retired couple. Their elder son Lt Cdr
Sanjeev Kumar Dutta was flying one of the ill-fated aircraft.

Saroj had remembered the aircraft that her naval aviator son used to fly.

Even as relatives and friends kept pouring in to console the couple, they
recalled the last time they had seen him on television.

"Those were happier times. Sanjeev was leading the Indian Navy contingent
at the Republic Day parade," recalled his younger brother Rohit.

Lt Cdr Sanjeev Dutta had last visited Delhi in April this year. "The Naval
authorities are planning to do the cremation in Goa tomorrow. So we are
leaving right away in a special defence aircraft," Rohit said.

Meanwhile, in Goa, Lt Cdr Dutta's three-month pregnant wife, Supriya, has
reportedly been put on sedatives as she has not yet been able to accept
the news of the tragedy.

The Dutta household in Mayur Vihar was full of neighbours and relatives by
the end of the day.

"He had always wanted to become a Naval Aviator and when he got his
commission in 1991, it was a long-standing dream come true for him," said
Rohit, a businessman.

He had been posted to Goa about two years ago. (ENDS)





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