Service No : IC- 71641W
Place of birth : Jaipur, Rajasthan
Service : Army
Last Rank : Major
Unit : 39 R & O Flight
Arm/Regt : The Corps of Engineers
Awards : Sena Medal
Martyrdom : October 1, 2014
Major Vikas Varyani SM
Major Vikas Varyani hailed from Jaipur in Rajasthan. Maj Varyani was commissioned into the corps of Engineers in the Army, but later he got trained in helicopter maintenance operations and was transferred to the Army Aviation Corps.
Operation Iron Fist : 01 Oct 2014
During 2104, Maj Varyani was serving with 39 (Independent) Recce and Observations Flight under the Army base in Bareilly. On 01 Oct 2014, Maj Varyani as engineering officer was tasked for a recce mission near Indo-China border in Munsiyari, Pithoragarh along with pilots Maj Abhijay Thapa and Capt Avinash Somavanshi. The crew took off in their Cheetah Helicopter and carried out the assigned task as per the operational plan.
However while returning from their mission the captain Maj Thapa, experienced rotor failure and the snag developed into a serious emergency situation. The aircraft had logged approximately sixty minutes of flying time till then. Maj Thapa realized that the aircraft was flying over thickly populated area of Bhartol village and the army base of 54 Engineer Regiment. He quickly assessed the situation and came to the conclusion that measures needed to be taken to minimize the casualties on the ground. Maj Varyani as engineering officer provided all the support to the captain to maneuver the crippled aircraft away from the inhabited area.
This action saved the lives of over 11000 residents of Bhartol village and his other brethren in uniform from 54 Engineer Regiment. The aircraft then crashed away from the populated area and Maj Varyani and other crew members could not survive the crash.
Major Vikas Varyani is survived by his parents and uncle Dolat Varyani.
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