Overview
- Clear footage from the display shows low‑level manoeuvres, a sudden loss of control and an apparent last‑second ejection attempt that failed because the aircraft was too close to the ground.
- The Indian Air Force confirmed the fatality and constituted a Court of Inquiry to determine technical and human factors behind the crash.
- Syal, identified as a native of Kangra in Himachal Pradesh and posted in Hyderabad, is to be repatriated for a state and military funeral in his home district on Sunday.
- Social media reactions included mocking posts from Pakistani accounts that drew public condemnation from Indian politicians, including Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi.
- In parallel defence news, the Army’s Operation Sindoor surgical eye camp reported screening more than 1,500 people and completing over 2,000 procedures for border‑area civilians and military families.