Kathua residents pray for safe return of AN 32 crew members

As the search for the missing IAF AN-32 aircraft entered the third day today, the residents of a village situated along the Indo-Pak International Border in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir are glued to their television sets and praying for the safe return of local boy Airman Gurdayal Choudhary who was onboard the plane.
The residents of Banyari village in the Hiranagar sector of the district have been thronging the house of Choudhary who is one of the crew member of the plane that went missing.
The family members of Choudhary are hopeful that their son would return safe and sound.

"We are hopeful that our son is safe and sound and he will be located soon and will return.
"Not only his family members but the entire village is praying for his safe return", Churra Ram father of the Airman said as relatives and villagers throng his house to show their solidarity with the family.
The villagers say that they have been glued to their television sets to get the news about the missing plane.

"The news that the plane went missing was shocking and more shocking was the fact that Gurdayal was one of the crew members in the place.

"Ever since the news came, the entire village has been praying for his safe return and watching news to know about the missing plane," Rakesh Choudhary one of the cousins of the missing airman said.
The missing airman, who was living in Chennai with his newlywed wife, was on official duty on the AN 32 that went missing during its flight from Chennai to Port Blair.
The Choudhary family is hopeful that the Government of India will leave no stone unturned to locate the missing plane and its crew members.
"His wife who stayed with him has been crying all the time, so I sent my younger son to take care of his sister-in law during these testing times," the father said.

He said that soon after passing his secondary school examination, in 2007 his son was joined the IAF as an Airman.