Uttarakhand chopper crash: Maharashtra couple let sick teen, her grandmother board first, escape death | Dehradun News
NAGPUR: A simple act of courtesy and kindness — letting a sick teenager and her grandmother board the helicopter first — spared the lives of a Maharashtra couple from the fatal helicopter crash near Kedarnath on Sunday. Pooja and Pravin Mahajan, from Bhadravati in Chandrapur district, had been travelling with Pooja’s sister, Shraddha Jaiswal of Wani in Yavatmal district, her husband Rajkumar, and their toddler daughter Kashi, who were among the seven killed when the chopper went down minutes after take-off.On Sunday morning, the group was waiting at the Kedarnath helipad with the Jaiswals for the first sortie to Gaurikund when an elderly woman in the queue requested that she and her unwell granddaughter be allowed to go first. Pravin agreed, letting Vinod Devi, 66, and Trishti Singh, 19, take his family’s place in the queue and opting to wait for the next helicopter. Talking to TOI, Mahajan said, “The woman requested that her granddaughter had fever and she needed to reach the Gaurikund base soon. I agreed and allowed them to board,” he said.Rajkumar Jaiswal, 41, who was a prominent coal-transport businessman from Wani, had set out on the Char Dham yatra with his family on Thursday, fulfilling a long-held personal vow. The group reached the Kedarnath shrine at 9:30am on Saturday and was scheduled to return by noon. But due to severe weather, sorties were cancelled for the rest of the day. Flights resumed at 5am on Sunday. Two other helicopters took off around the same time and landed safely.In addition to his coal business, Jaiswal ran a retail shop and was known in his community for his devout faith and involvement in local affairs. His wife Shraddha, 35, and their 23-month-old daughter Kashi died alongside him in the crash. Their six-year-old son, Vivaan, had stayed behind in Maharashtra with his grandfather. Their elder son, who lives in a hostel, had not joined the trip either.
