The 30‑hour‑old Trans‑Bharat Aviation helicopter, registered 8D‑BPK, slammed into the slopes of Hathi Parvat near Joshimath at about 2 pm on Friday, killing all six aboard, including Bengaluru Police Inspector Arun Salunke, two Karnataka lawyers, and two businessmen.
Salunke, a 2007 batch officer of the Central Crime Branch, had left Bengaluru on Oct 28 for a pilgrimage to Badrinath, leaving behind a wife and two children. The other passengers—lawyer Shankar Gowda of Tumakuru, advocate Sudheer K of Bengaluru, poultry businessman H S Natraja, and businessman Prathapa from Hassan—were also on the same trip.
Uttarakhand authorities mobilised the Army, State Disaster Response Force, Indo‑Tibetan Border Police, and local police to conduct a search and rescue operation in the rugged terrain. Teams recovered the bodies by dusk and transported them to Joshimath for post‑mortem examination.
Karnataka’s Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Home Minister Priyank Kharge have pledged full assistance, while the State Disaster Management Authority coordinates with Uttarakhand officials for the swift repatriation of the remains. The Karnataka Resident Commissioner’s office in Uttarakhand is also involved.
Family members, including Salunke’s widow and Gowda’s father‑in‑law, have received no official notice yet, and are grieving in silence. The crash has stunned colleagues and friends, who recall the victims as jovial and community‑spirited.
The bodies are expected to be flown back to Karnataka by early next week after post‑mortem reports, and the state government will convene a meeting with Uttarakhand officials on Tuesday to finalise transport arrangements.