The Dead Body of an Indian army Soldier Jagmail Singh, who disappeared in 1968 following a Plane Crash has been recovered after 45 Years.
According to sources, the mortal remains of a Non Commissioned Officer Jagmail Singh were found on the Dhakka glacier in northern Himachal Pradesh state. It could be found only after a Search Operation of 2 weeks by Dogra Scouts of the Western Command of the Indian Army.
Jagmail Singh was a Havaldar in Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Corps. His identity was established by an identity disk, an insurance policy and a letter found in his pocket, the spokesman said.
The remains of Hav Jagmail Singh is the fifth to be recovered so far. His remains would be flown to Chandigarh and taken to his native Meerpur village in Rewari in Haryana, where the last rites would be performed with full military honours.
The accident took place in February 1968, when a Leh bound AN-32 Russian aircraft crashed killing all 102 people on board. The aircraft with 98 Army officers and personnel and four crew members “vanished into thin air†on February 7, 1968, after its pilot, Flight Lieutenant H.K. Singh made one last radio contact from over Rohtang Pass near Manali.
The mystery was solved only in 2003, when mountaineers from Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, stumbled on pieces of wreckage and a body that was identified as that of soldier Beli Ram. Machine parts, Army uniforms, human remains and a few other articles, including an identity card, had become visible as the glacier receded.
The follow up searches led to the recovery of three more bodies. The search was given up in 2009.
On August 16, this year, the Army embarked on another expedition to locate the mortal remains of the remainder of the missing and recover the Flight Data Recorder, known as the black box in common parlance.