From Celebration to Tragedy: Pilot Killed in Kedarnath India Chopper Crash Was Planning Ceremony for Newborn Twins

Just 20 days after returning to duty from paternity leave, a 37-year-old pilot from Jaipur, India, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Rajveer Singh Chauhan, tragically lost his life in a devastating helicopter crash near Gaurikund, Uttarakhand. The crash, which occurred on Sunday, June 15, 2025, claimed seven lives and marks the fifth major aviation accident in the region within just six weeks.

Rajveer, a dedicated pilot and a proud new father, had been eagerly planning a traditional jalwa pujan — a Rajasthani ceremony to welcome newborns — for his four-month-old twin children. The event was scheduled for June 30. But the joyous occasion has now turned into mourning.

“He became a father after 14 years of marriage,” his father, Govind Chauhan, told reporters. “We were preparing for the ceremony, looking forward to celebrating life. But everything is over now.”

The tragedy has cast a dark shadow over what should have been a time of happiness and new beginnings for the Chauhan family.

As authorities investigate the cause of the crash, the nation mourns the loss of a brave pilot who gave his all — both in service and in fatherhood.