The Kangra valley has been left shattered after Wing Commander Naman Syal, 34, of the Indian Air Force, was martyred when his Tejas fighter jet crashed in the United Arab Emirates on Friday while taking part in the Dubai Airshow 2025.

The indigenous aircraft went down during a practice and demonstration flight in the afternoon local time, with visuals showing the jet losing altitude before hitting the ground and bursting into flames, sending thick smoke into the sky and leaving spectators at the prestigious airshow stunned.

Wing Commander Syal, a resident of Patialakad village in Nagrota Bagwan, was known for his discipline and exceptional service record. He completed his schooling at Primary School Dalhousie, Army Public School YoL Cantt Dharamshala, and Sainik School, Sujanpur Tira in Himachal Pradesh, before joining the National Defence Academy (NDA) in 2009.

His father, Jagan Nath Syal, a retired Army officer and former principal, recounted the devastating moment he learned of the crash to The Indian Express. Jagan Nath Syal said that he last spoke to his son on Thursday. He told him to watch his performance during the air show on TV channels or YouTube. Around 4 pm on Friday, he was searching for videos of the ongoing air show in Dubai on YouTube when he saw reports about the plane crash.

Jagan Nath Syal added, "Immediately, I called my daughter-in-law, who is also a Wing Commander, to check what happened. Moments later, at least six Air Force officers arrived at our house, and I realised something bad happened.”

The Syal family, including his mother Veena Syal, is currently at Naman’s home in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, while his wife, also an IAF officer, was undergoing training in Kolkata. Jagan Nath Syal described his son as “excellent in studies and someone who dreamt big about his life. This incident left us completely shattered.”

Wing Commander Syal is survived by his wife and their six-year-old daughter.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed profound sorrow on X, saying, “The news of the tragic death of Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district’s brave son, Naman Syal ji, in the Tejas aircraft accident at the Dubai Air Show is extremely saddening and heartbreaking. The nation has lost a courageous, dutiful, and valiant pilot… I bow to the indomitable bravery, sense of duty, and dedication to national service of the brave son.”

The tragedy sent waves of grief across the Kangra valley. Villagers gathered outside the Syal family home late into the night, many in shock, lighting bonfires to keep warm as they tried to come to terms with the loss of the brave officer.