A pall of grief enveloped Rayle Compound in Badlapur on Saturday, as the mortal remains of 33-year-old Deepak Pathak — an Air India cabin crew member who lost his life in the tragic Ahmedabad plane crash — were brought home for his final rites.
After a painful wait of several days, Pathak’s body was finally handed over to his family late on Friday night following DNA confirmation. Initially, the samples given by his two sisters did not match, prompting a fresh test using his mother’s DNA at Mumbai’s Civil Hospital. Once a match was established, his wife and both sisters travelled to Ahmedabad to complete the formalities.
Pathak’s body was flown from Ahmedabad to Mumbai in a special aircraft on Friday night. On Saturday morning, an ambulance carried him from the airport to his residence in Badlapur. As the vehicle arrived at Rayle Compound, a heavy silence fell over the neighbourhood. A makeshift platform had been arranged near the building to receive the coffin with dignity. But as the casket was brought down, the silence broke into heart-wrenching wails.
Pathak’s elderly parents, wife, and sisters were inconsolable. His father, barely able to speak, kept murmuring, “If he hadn’t boarded that flight, he would still be with us.” Neighbours and friends remembered him as a soft-spoken, hardworking young man — proud to serve with Air India, yet always humble and rooted in his community.
At around 2.30 pm on Saturday, the funeral procession moved quietly to the Manjarli village crematorium. Colleagues from the airline, local residents, and well-wishers joined the grieving family for the last rites. As the pyre was lit, Badlapur bid farewell to one of its beloved sons — gone too soon, and deeply mourned.
Pathak had served with Air India for several years and was part of the cabin crew on the ill-fated flight. His tragic death has not only shattered his family but also struck a chord across the aviation fraternity — a stark reminder of the risks silently faced by crew members in the line of duty.
