Major Vikas Varyani was an officer of the Indian Army who served with 39 (Independent) Recce and Observation Flight. He was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers and subsequently underwent training in helicopter maintenance operations before serving with Army Aviation.
Major Varyani hailed from Jaipur, Rajasthan. By 2014, he was serving with the Army aviation unit based at Bareilly and was assigned aviation duties involving reconnaissance missions and operational support.
On 1 October 2014, Major Varyani was part of a crew detailed for a reconnaissance mission in the Munsiyari area of Pithoragarh near the India-China border. The crew consisted of Major Abhijai Thapa, the pilot, Captain Avinash Yeshwant Somvanshi, the other pilot, and Major Varyani, who was serving as the engineering officer.
The crew completed the assigned mission and began returning towards Bareilly in their Cheetah helicopter. During the return flight, the aircraft developed a serious technical problem while it was over the densely populated Bhartol area.
The emergency placed both the people on the ground and the crew in danger. The aircraft was also near the lines of 54 Engineer Regiment, where personnel were present.
Major Varyani, serving as the engineering officer, supported the efforts to control the crippled aircraft and divert it away from the inhabited area. The crew transmitted a distress call and took measures intended to reduce the consequences of the impending crash.
The helicopter ultimately came down away from the populated area. Major Vikas Varyani, Major Abhijai Thapa and Captain Avinash Yeshwant Somvanshi made the supreme sacrifice in the crash.
The diversion of the aircraft prevented the helicopter from coming down over the densely inhabited portion of Bhartol and the nearby military lines. Accounts of the incident have stated that the action protected thousands of people on the ground.
Major Varyani's contribution to the emergency response was subsequently recognised through the award of the Sena Medal (Posthumous).
His service with the Army Aviation establishment and his final mission remain part of the record of the three officers who made the supreme sacrifice on 1 October 2014.
