A MiG-21 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed near Bhalaiana village in Muktsar district on Thursday afternoon killing the pilot Flight Lieutenant Manu Akhouri. Initial reports indicate the pilot sacrificed his life to save a village and to avoid getting entangled in high tension wires passing over the area.

Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal said the aircraft had taken off from Bhisiana Airforce Station and was on “a routine sortie”. Debris was scattered over a large area around the crash site. Primary investigations suggested the parachute of the pilot failed to open, most probably due to the low altitude at which the pilot ejected.

A number of fire tenders had to be pressed into service to douse the fire. Senior officials from Bathinda and Muktsar visited the spot to take stock of the situation.

Eyewitnesses said the aircraft caught fire in the air, nosedived and crashed into a paddy field along the main road to Bathinda, 27 km from Muktsar. “I saw the aircraft from very near. We understood the plane was out of control. We ran for our lives,” said Vicky, a Dhaba owner.

Another villager said the aircraft had lost control near the power grid passing through the village, but the pilot managed to avoid a major mishap there. Eyewitnesses said the pilot sacrificed his life to save the village. Demanding a gallantry award for the pilot, they said he could have exited soon after the aricraft developed a snag, but chose not to as it was flying over the village at the time.