Corporal Vikky Pahade

Corporal Vikky Pahade hailed from Nonia Karbal village of Chhindwara district in Madhya Pradesh and was born on 01 Sep 1990. Son of Late Shri Dimakchand Pahade and Smt Dulari Pahade, Corporal Vikky Pahade had three sisters as his siblings. He lost his father when he was quite young and as a result, the responsibility of the entire family fell on his shoulders. He grew up to be a responsible young man and worked hard to get selected into the Indian Air Force. He joined the IAF in 2011,  just one year after completing his 12th class at Navodaya Vidyalaya, Singodi in Amarwara tehsil of Chhindwara district in Madya Pradesh.

 

He got trained as a technical tradesman in the IAF and worked on the maintenance of various Air Force assets including radars.  After serving for a few years he got married to Ms Rina and the couple was blessed with a son Hardik in 2019. By 2024 he had served in various Air Force bases and had been promoted to the rank of Corporal. 

 

Poonch Terrorist Attack (J&K): 04 May 2024

 

During 2024, Cpl Vikky Pahade was serving with 359 TRU (Transportable Radar Unit) based at 23 Wing in Jammu. 23 Wg AF was formed at Jammu on 25 Jan 63 under the command of Wg Cdr J Andrews. In 2024, in order to undertake various operations, the Air Force Base at Jammu had many Air Force assets that included aircraft and radars. As the area was active with militancy, the security forces followed strict SOPs(Standard Operating Procedures) while moving the men and material by deploying road-opening teams to conduct sanitization of the area. On 04 May 2024, Cpl Vikky Pahade and a few other air warriors of the unit were detailed to move to the Surankote area of Poonch district in Jammu-Kashmir for an operational task. As planned Cpl Vikky Pahade and his comrades set off for Surankote in the afternoon of 04 May.

 

However, at around 1500 hrs, when their vehicle reached the Bakrabal (Sanai) area of Poonch district, just a few kilometers from LOC, they came under attack by the terrorists. It was a pre-planned move by the terrorists who apparently had done the reconnaissance of the area and planned to attack at the time of their choosing. The heavily armed group of terrorists used grenades, and automatic weapons, in an attempt to cause maximum damage. The two Air Force trucks carrying the air warriors were fired upon from three sides. The air warriors traveling in the vehicles returned fire, but in the initial firing by the terrorists, five soldiers got injured. The injured air warriors were shifted to the Army’s Command Hospital in Udhampur for medical treatment. However, Cpl Vikky Pahade succumbed to his critical injuries and was martyred. Cpl Vikky Pahade was a committed and competent air warrior, who laid down his life at the age of 33 years in the line of his duty.

 

Cpl Vikky Pahade is survived by his mother Smt Dulari Pahade, wife Smt Rina Pahade and son Hardik.