Among on-ground victims of Ahmedabad air crash, couple heading home from Aadhaar centre
On June 12, Meghaninagar residents Chetnaba (39) and her husband, 42-year-old Ranbirsinh Chavda, left home to get their Aadhaar card updated at the nearby municipal office.
Soon after, as the news of a plane crashing in the area began flashing in, the first instinct of the couple's family was to call them. As their phones were found switched off, the anxiety grew.
When frantic searches at the Civil hospital in Asarwa and Sola hospital yielded no results, a family member decided to give their sample for DNA testing.
'The next day, we reached the crash site looking for some information. The police deployed there showed us a photo of a half-burnt Aadhaar card which was found at the site. It had Chetnaba's photo and name,' Kiritsinh Chavda, elder brother of Ranbirsinh, told The Indian Express. Soon, the scooter that Chetnaba and Ranjitsinh were travelling in was also found in a charred state.
The family still didn't lose hope. But as DNA test reports came in on Wednesday, their worst fears were confirmed – Chetnaba and Ranjitsinh were among the victims of the air crash.
The couple was cremated at the crematorium in Chamunda.
The family, a native of Varsoda village in Mansa taluka of Gandhinagar district, had been living in Meghaninagar for years. They were parents to a 19-year-old daughter and a son, 8. The daughter got married last year. Ranbirsinh worked at a hotel near the airport and was provided with an electric GPS-enabled two-wheeler by his employer.
It was this feature of the vehicle that helped the family members identify the couple's last location.
'When we enquired with the hotel, the last location of the scooter was found at the crash site. The last location of the mobile phone was also the same. But still, we were hopeful that they were alive and lying injured at some hospital. But later, we found the partially burnt green number plate and a completely charred scooter from the site,' said Kiritsinh.
On Wednesday, along with their mortal remains, the jewellery of the couple was returned to the family.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Registering a pet dog in Surat needs NOC from 10 neighbours
Surat: In a move that has confused Diamond City's pet-loving community, Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has unleashed a controversial rule mandating pet owners to secure signatures from 10 neighbours and the society president's to register one's dog and obtain a pet ownership licence. Dog lovers are mortified over the rules which have subjected their right to keep a pet to neighbours' whims while SMC officials defend the rule passed by its governing body in 2008, calling it a preventive measure against legal disputes. Besides neighbours' consent, owners must submit a copy of their Aadhaar card, a copy of the municipal tax bill or rent agreement, a notarised undertaking, the dog's image and its vaccination records, among a slew of other documents. The rule is being strongly enforced now especially in light of the recent Ahmedabad incident where a rottweiler caused the death of a four-month-old infant. Surat's dog lovers, meanwhile, are organizing awareness sessions and have submitted memorandums protesting these restrictions. A source in SMC said that disputes between society residents due to pet dogs sometimes reach police, who then call municipal officials to record their statements if the dog is not registered. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cặp EUR/USD: Đà Tăng? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo "The rule was approved by the SMC general body in 2008. By issuing a licence, the municipal corporation authorises the applicant to own a pet. The owner is then expected to follow the guidelines," said a health department official."The NOC of 10 neighbours and society president is unlawful. A society or people do not have any power to issue such NOC. The basis on which SMC is claiming to implement these rules is a resolution passed for buffalos," said Ashit Gandhi, board director, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCAs) for Surat district. It is likely that growing representations against the rule may make SMC loosen it a little. Senior health officials in SMC confirmed that some representations objecting to the rule have been sent to the district collector's office. "If the majority of owners have issues with it, some changes will be made," said one official requesting anonymity. Surtis say the rule needs to be altered. "The NOC rule is a baseless and unusual mandate. It is a major hurdle in pet registration process," said Surat pet owner Dhruvin Thakar. "Most pet owners who feed street dogs already face neighbourhood hostility," said Gitanjali Italia, who owns a rescued dog. "Now these same neighbours hold veto power over our pets' legal status. It's a recipe for conflict." The contrast with other Gujarat cities couldn't be starker. An official from Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, speaking anonymously, said, "We have no such requirement. This rule is only being implemented by SMC and contradicts Animal Welfare Board of India guidelines. Ahmedabad has a large number of bungalows and farmhouses, and requiring neighbours' NOC for pet dog registration in such cases would make registration impossible. Furthermore, according to this rule, if a neighbour or society chairman does not provide an NOC, it could lead to legal disputes over whether the pet dog needs to be relocated or confiscated. In Ahmedabad, there are only rules for registering pet dogs, and we are proceeding with registrations. The process of creating new regulations is ongoing." Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), meanwhile, is so far only collecting applications from those wanting to register their dogs. "We are not doing any registrations. The application must have the breed, its vaccination status and other details," said VMC's market superintendent Vijay Panchal, adding the civic body will start the process of drawing pet ownership rules soon. The Indian National Kennel Club has taken a firm stance. "The imposition of such conditions by SMC is untenable. Neither the housing society nor the neighbours have a right to impose their prejudices or wishes upon a resident who wants to keep a dog or dogs within his/her residence. The only condition that may be reasonably imposed is to take an undertaking from the owner that no nuisance would be caused to others," said its president Phiroze Javeri.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Kanwar route eatery staff stripped to ascertain faith
1 2 3 4 5 6 Agra: Members of a Hindu outfit allegedly tried to forcibly verify the religious identity of a dhaba worker by attempting to strip him during an 'identity campaign' near the Kanwar Yatra route on Saturday at Pandit Ji Vaishno Dhaba along Delhi-Dehradun National Highway 58 in Muzaffarnagar. The confrontation began when the team scanned the eatery's QR code and claimed, erroneously, that the owner belonged to the minority community. The employee at the receiving end of the assault, Gopal, said, "I work here and live at the hotel. These people tried to take off my pants. First, they asked for my Aadhaar card, but I don't have it. They were intent on stripping me naked. I'm unwell. I told them I'm not a Muslim, I am a Hindu. I didn't lie." Police soon reached the spot and brought the situation under control. However, no formal complaint was filed by Gopal or the dhaba owner. New Mandi SHO Dinesh Chand said, "We controlled the situation and no police complaint was filed by anyone in the matter." Self-styled seer Swami Yashveer Ji Maharaj, who runs an ashram in Muzaffarnagar and led the 'Pehchan Abhiyan' (identity campaign) said several food outlets on the Kanwar route use Hindu names despite being run by individuals from other communities, which could "mislead pilgrims." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Plastic Surgeon Reveals The 1 Thing Every Woman Should Be Using Instead Of Moisturiser New Skin Discovery Undo He said, "We have warned this dhaba to change its name within 24 hours or face a protest starting tomorrow morning. This is not a Hindu-run establishment and is misusing the name 'Pandit'." He referred to state govt directives requiring eateries to display the owner's name and warned of legal action under Section 420 for misrepresentation. Multiple dhabas operate along NH-58 in Muzaffarnagar, many of which shut during the Kanwar Yatra if they serve non-vegetarian food. Last year, similar pressure was applied on fruit sellers and dhaba owners to display their names. However, in July 2024, Supreme Court issued an interim stay on such directives from the UP and Uttarakhand govts. The court held that eateries and shops could only be required to indicate whether they serve veg or non-veg food, not display names of owners or staff. The directive, which had emerged during last year's Yatra, had led to harassment of Muslim shopkeepers and staff. Several establishments were reportedly forced to shut, dismiss Muslim workers, or alter names to avoid targeting. Opposition leaders and rights activists termed the orders discriminatory and said they risked marginalising specific communities economically. Muzaffarnagar borders Uttarakhand and serves as a key passage for lakhs of devotees from UP, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Haryana, who collect Ganga water from Haridwar during the Shravan month. When asked about the ongoing identity campaign, SP (city), Satyanarayan Prajapat, said, "The guidelines of the Supreme Court will be followed."
Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Retd IVRI scientist loses ₹1.29 crore in cyber fraud
Jun 28, 2025 06:46 PM IST A recently retired senior scientist from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly has been allegedly defrauded of ₹ 1.29 crore by cybercriminals impersonating law enforcement officers, police said. Inspector Dinesh Kumar Sharma said an FIR has been registered and efforts are on to trace the accused. (For representation) The victim, a researcher originally from West Bengal and residing with his family in government accommodation on the IVRI campus, stated in his complaint that he received a WhatsApp call on June 17 from someone claiming to be a Bengaluru police officer. Confirming the case, inspector Dinesh Kumar Sharma said an FIR has been registered and efforts are on to trace the accused and freeze the accounts involved. According to the FIR lodged a week later at the cyber crime police station, the caller claimed the scientist's Aadhaar card had been misused to obtain SIM cards linked to serious crimes, including human trafficking and employment scams. The caller further alleged that a man named Sadakat Khan had been arrested and had taken the scientist's name during interrogation. The scientist was then asked to contact another number, purportedly belonging to CBI officer Daya Nayak. When he did, another fraudster posing as Nayak claimed that illegal funds had been deposited into the scientist's bank accounts. The victim was told to transfer all his savings to a 'safe government account' for verification. He was assured the funds would be returned after the investigation. Fearing arrest and under psychological pressure, the scientist complied, transferring ₹ 1.29 crore. He did not inform even his family and remained silent until a bank manager's persistent questioning prompted him to rethink.
