Wing commander Mohit Rana is a resident of Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district, while Bal, 26, is from Jinder Mehlu village, which is close to the India-Pakistan border in the RS Pura sector of Jammu district.

Rajnath Singh, the defence minister, had been urged by Bal’s family to quickly halt the Soviet-era fighter aircraft.

” We appeal to the defence minister to immediately stop using MiG-21 fighter jets because they have already taken away so many lives. Please ground them immediately before another crash claims another life,” urged Bal’s uncle, Kamaljeet Bal.

The two pilots lost their lives when the twin-seater MiG-21 aircraft they were flying crashed while on a training mission close to Barmer. The incident happened at around 9:10 p.m., when the plane was departing from Utarlai air base, according to the IAF.

The IAF extended its deepest sympathies for the lives lost and announced that a court of inquiry has been appointed to look into the situation.

They stated, “IAF deeply regrets the loss of lives and stands firmly with the bereaved families. A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.”

Rajnath Singh previously discussed the fighter jet crash in Barmer with the head of the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari. He received a thorough briefing on the situation from the air chief.