'We are still in shock': Nilgiris' villagers on helicopter crash

Residents of Nanjappanchathiram, a nondescript village near Coonoor in the Nilgiris, attained a heroic status for their courage and determination in joining the rescue operations in December 8 helicopter crash by risking their own lives.

The villagers have received all-round praise from all quarters, especially the Armed Forces – Lt. Gen. A Arun, General Officer Commanding, Dakshin Bharat, visited the tiny hamlet of 70 families earlier this week to personally thank them for rushing to the spot where the chopper carrying Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and 13 others crashed.

However, the villagers told DH they are not yet “out of the shock” and regret that “we were not able to save anyone” from the crash. According to eyewitnesses, three persons, including Gen Rawat, were pulled out alive, though the Indian Army has not yet commented on the exact details.

While two are believed to have died on their way to Army Hospital in Wellington, Captain Varun Singh succumbed to injuries a week later.

“The villagers did not care about their lives. They went to the site and did whatever they could. The villagers helped the police and fire service personnel in pulling out charred bodies and dousing the fire. No words to laud their courage and selfless service,” the Lt. Gen told the media on the sidelines of an event in Chennai.

The villagers pulled out everything that they had in their modest dwellings, most importantly blankets, to carry the survivors out of the crash site. Almost all of them are labourers who work in the nearby tea estates or in the construction sector.

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In an extraordinary gesture, Lt. Gen. Arun visited the hamlet on Monday along with state government officials to thank the villagers for standing with the Indian Army. The Army Commander distributed a kit containing blankets and other household items to the villagers and announced a free check-up for them for a year at the Army Hospital in Wellington.

“I want to give something in return to you for all the selfless service you people did on December 8 when the helicopter crashed. Till December 8, 2022, for one year, every month, I will send a doctor and a nurse to your village for a medical check-up. And for one year, you can get a free consultation at the Army Hospital,” the Lt. Gen told the villagers in Tamil.

Sagayaraj, a resident of Nanjappanchathiram, said the villagers are “unhappy” that they could not save anyone who was on board the helicopter.

“We are happy that the Army Commander visited us. But we are not happy with the fact that we could not help anyone. We were shocked to know the lone survivor, Capt Varun Singh also died. We are yet to come out of the shock. We thought at least the people who were pulled out alive will survive. But that too didn’t happen,” Sagayaraj told DH over the phone.

V Jaishankar, an MGNREGA worker, said several people rushed to the crash site almost immediately with the intention of saving lives. “We came to know those inside the helicopter were Army officers only after reaching the site. We were hoping that at least a few of them survive. We are so lucky to help the Army men who stand guard at the border saving us. But we are stressed that we could not save anyone,” Jaishankar told DH.

“We never helped expecting anything in return. But we are happy that the Army Commander visited our village and spoke to us. I have been a fan of the Indian Army, and we all would have been happily accepting the help if at least one person was alive,” Jaishankar added.

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