Jorhat: Five Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel lost their lives after an AN-32 transport aircraft crashed during a routine sortie at Jorhat Air Force Station in Assam today. According to the IAF, the aircraft met with an accident at approximately 1000 hours while undertaking a routine mission. The co-pilot survived the crash and is currently undergoing medical treatment. The deceased personnel have been identified as Squadron Leader Prashant Singh, Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar, Sergeant Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat, and Agniveervayu Danish Alam, who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. In an official statement, the IAF expressed…
Author: Pratyusha Mukherjee
Pratyusha Mukherjee
Ms Pratyusha Mukherjee, an Independent Sr. Broadcast Journalist working for British media with 25 years of experience in covering the east and northeast, with specialisation in Defence, Sports & Current Affairs. In her illustrated career she has covered many major events and achieved International and National media awards for Journalism.
Kolkata, India: The National Cadet Corps (NCC) continues to reinforce its role as one of India’s premier youth development organisations, integrating advanced training capabilities with leadership development to prepare the next generation of responsible citizens and future leaders. In line with this vision, Brig Samar Pundir, Group Commander, NCC Group Headquarters Kolkata ‘B’, conducted an inspection of the NCC Training School, Behala, a key training establishment under the NCC Directorate West Bengal & Sikkim. During the visit, Brig Pundir was briefed by Wing Commander P.R. Ponnappa, Commanding Officer, 1 West Bengal Air Squadron NCC, on ongoing flying training activities and…
Jorhat, Assam: An Indian Air Force (IAF) Antonov An-32 tactical transport aircraft was involved in an accident during landing operations at Rowriah Airport, home to the Air Force Station Jorhat, today. According to initial reports, the aircraft experienced a mishap while landing, following which a fire broke out. Emergency response teams at the air base were immediately activated and moved swiftly to secure the aircraft and contain the situation. Further details regarding the extent of damage and the status of personnel on board are awaited. The Antonov An-32 is a twin-engine turboprop military transport aircraft that forms an important component…
Sports medicine must move beyond metropolitan centers and become accessible to athletes across West Bengal, said Dr. Indranil Khan, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Youth Services & Sports, Government of West Bengal, while addressing ICC SportsMed 2026, a major healthcare and sports science summit organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Held under the theme “From Performance to Prevention: Integrating Science, Medicine & Technology,” the summit brought together healthcare leaders, sports medicine specialists, policymakers, hospital administrators, sports scientists and athletes to discuss the future of sports healthcare in India. Speaking at the event, Dr. Khan emphasized that the state’s…
For a nation that prides itself on being a global giant, India’s absence from the FIFA World Cup is an uncomfortable truth that can no longer be ignored. Population alone does not win football matches, but decades of neglect, mismanagement, and lack of vision have ensured that the world’s largest democracy remains irrelevant on football’s biggest stage. As of June 2026, India is ranked 138th in the FIFA World Rankings, a sharp contrast to its highest-ever ranking of 94th in 1996. A string of poor results and failure to qualify for the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup have underlined the…
Renowned Indian shooting coach and former Asian Games champion Jaspal Rana passed away on Friday at the age of 49, marking the end of one of the most influential careers in Indian shooting. Rana had recently undergone a medical procedure after falling ill during the Indian contingent’s return flight from the ISSF World Cup in Munich, Germany. At the time of his death, he was serving as the high-performance coach for India’s pistol shooting programme. Born in 1976, Rana emerged as a shooting prodigy, winning his first national-level gold medal at the age of 12. He announced himself on the…
The inaugural World Yogasana Championships in Ahmedabad have emerged not only as a global sporting platform but also as an unexpected cultural bridge, reconnecting young athletes from Mauritius with their ancestral roots in India. Several members of the Mauritian contingent trace their family origins to Indian states such as Bihar and Tamil Nadu, with many belonging to families whose ancestors migrated generations ago across the Indian Ocean. For many of these athletes, the visit marked their first experience of the country they had previously known only through family stories and inherited memory. Among them were athletes Chethnaa Reesaul, Parineeti Kalkah…
The inaugural World Yogasana Championships held at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad have marked a significant milestone not only for India’s dominance in the sport but also for the rising participation of Middle Eastern nations, signalling the early stages of a broader global expansion. India topped the medal tally with over a hundred gold medals, reaffirming its leadership in Yogasana, a discipline rooted in ancient Indian tradition. However, the spotlight also turned to emerging participation from countries such as Oman, Jordan, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, where interest in Yogasana is steadily evolving into structured competitive engagement. Oman emerged…
As part of its ongoing outreach initiatives in remote border regions, the Indian Army’s Gajraj Corps conducted a Medical and Dental Camp at PM Shri Government Secondary School, Rama Camp in West Kameng district, focusing on improving healthcare access and awareness among schoolchildren. The camp aimed to provide essential medical support while promoting preventive healthcare practices in one of the country’s far-flung and difficult-to-access areas. A team of Army medical and dental professionals carried out comprehensive health and dental examinations for students, along with deworming interventions to support overall child health and wellbeing. In addition to clinical services, the initiative…
The first Made-in-India Airbus C-295 military transport aircraft has successfully completed its maiden test flight from the Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Vadodara, Gujarat, marking a significant milestone in India’s defence aviation sector and the country’s drive towards self-reliance in military manufacturing. The successful flight represents a critical step in the certification and delivery process, paving the way for the induction of the first India-manufactured C-295 into the Indian Air Force (IAF) later this year. The programme is a flagship initiative under the Government of India’s “Make in India” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat” campaigns, aimed at strengthening domestic defence production capabilities.…