- Bengaluru Inspector Arun Salunke died in Uttarakhand helicopter crash.
- Four Bengaluru friends also died returning from pilgrimage.
- Group waited for weather to clear before fatal flight.
- Karnataka leaders expressed grief, coordinating bodies’ return.
“Gone too soon, brother,” Bengaluru Police Inspector Arun Salunke had written on Instagram on August 28, mourning the death of a colleague from the Central Crime Branch (CCB). A little over a month later, the 44-year-old was himself killed when the helicopter carrying him and four friends back from Badrinath crashed near Jyotirmath (Joshimath) in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Friday.
The five friends had embarked on the Char Dham pilgrimage three days earlier and were expected to return to Bengaluru on Friday evening. Their families and friends were waiting for them when news of the crash broke.
One of the passengers had spoken to a childhood friend just hours before the accident, saying that the group was waiting inside the helicopter for the weather to improve.
Bengaluru CCB Inspector Among Those Killed
Salunke, a 2007-batch Karnataka Police officer, hailed from Aratal village in Athani taluk of Belagavi district. He completed his education at Bengaluru’s MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology before joining the police force.
During his career, he served at Halasuru police station and in the Criminal Investigation Department before being posted as an inspector with the Bengaluru Police’s Central Crime Branch.
Dasappa, who owns the apartment building where Salunke had lived as a tenant for three years, remembered him as a friendly person who shared a cordial relationship with the residents.
“Arun Salunke was a very good person. He was friendly with everyone in the apartment,” Dasappa was cited by an HT report.
Another resident, Gajendra, who had known the inspector for three years, recalled meeting him during morning walks. According to him, Salunke would usually leave for duty at around 10 am and return at approximately 10 pm.
Dasappa also said that Shankar Gowda, an advocate who was among those on the pilgrimage, occasionally visited the apartment.
Who Were The Five Passengers Killed In The Crash?
The other passengers killed in the helicopter crash were identified as H S Nataraj, 51, Prathap Ningraju, 41, Sudheer K, 49, and Shankar Gowda, 39. Uttarakhand authorities said all five passengers were residents of Bengaluru.
Nataraj, a native of Huliyurdurga in Tumakuru district, headed the Vidya Bharati educational institution. Gowda was an advocate, while Prathap, who hailed from Bachanahalli in Sakaleshapura taluk of Hassan district, worked as a civil contractor.
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Prathap had moved to Bengaluru around 15 years ago and lived in Thanisandra with his wife and two sons, who study in Classes 7 and 3.
His family had been expecting him to return home on Friday evening. Prajwal, a coffee planter and Prathap’s brother-in-law, said the five friends had left for the pilgrimage three days earlier.
“We were all waiting for them to come back, but instead received the tragic news,” he said.
“He was happily married and had a family life. The entire family is in tears,” Prajwal added.
Nataraj Spoke To Childhood Friend Hours Before Crash
For Nagesh, a businessman from Huliyurdurga and Nataraj’s childhood friend, the tragedy was particularly difficult because of their last conversation.
Nagesh said Nataraj called him at around 11 am on Friday from inside the helicopter. The group was waiting for the weather to clear before taking off.
“He told me that he was sitting inside the helicopter and waiting for the weather to clear. The pilot had reportedly told them that the area was covered in thick fog and that they would have to wait until visibility improved. When I asked him about the weather, he said it was extremely cold there,” Nagesh recalled.
Karnataka Leaders Express Condolences
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar expressed grief over the deaths and said the state government was coordinating with Uttarakhand officials to bring the bodies back to Karnataka as soon as possible.
“The news that a helicopter en route from Badrinath to Dehradun crashed near Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, killing the pilot from Delhi and five passengers from Karnataka, has caused profound shock and grief,” he said in a statement.
“Discussions are underway with Uttarakhand officials to bring the bodies back to Karnataka as soon as possible, and the state government stands in solidarity with the families of the deceased during this time of grief,” Shivakumar added.
Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge also offered condolences, describing the loss of Kannadigas in the crash as heartbreaking. He said Salunke’s death was particularly painful for the police department and extended his sympathies to the families of all five passengers and the pilot.
“The fact that Arun Salunke, a CCB inspector who had gone on a trip, has lost his life in this tragedy is an extremely painful matter for the Police Department,” Kharge said, praying for peace for those killed and strength for their bereaved families.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
