Mother was heartbroken after he went missing: Malayali soldier's siblings recall Thomas Cheriyan & 1968 IAF crash

Pathanamthitta: When memories buried in snow resurfaced after 56 years, the inhabitants of a home in Elanthoor East Odal were filled with both joy and sorrow. The mortal remains of their brother and Malayali soldier Thomas Cheriyan were recovered on Monday, five decades after his tragic demise in a plane crash.

"I was 8-years-old when my brother joined the army. He visited home three times. We first received a notice that the plane was missing. The crash was confirmed in 2003. It's been 35 years since my father passed away and 28 years since my mother. My mother always cried after my brother went missing,” Thomas Varghese, Cheriyan's brother recollected.

“The Aranmulla police came to our house at 7 pm yesterday to collect our address and find out who lives there. They collected the address and left. It was during the police visit that we learned about the recovery of the body. Later, we received a notification from the army. I had hoped he would return. Once the accident was confirmed, all hope vanished," he told Manorama News.

Cheriyan, a native of Elanthoor in Pathanamthitta, was only 22-years-old when the AN-12 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed over the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh. The twin-engine turboprop transport aircraft carrying 102 people had gone missing on February 7, 1968, while flying from Chandigarh to Leh. Till date, nine bodies were recovered. Along with that of Cheriyan, the mortal remains of three more people were recovered on Monday in a joint operation led by the Dogra Scouts of the Indian Army and Tiranga Mountain Rescue. The Indian Army officially confirmed the matter to the Aranmula police, who then informed Cheriyan’s family.

Thomas Cheriyan had four siblings- Thomas Mathew, Thomas Thomas, Mary and Thomas Varghese. Their elder brother, the late Thomas Mathew, was also a soldier. While Thomas Thomas is now living a retired life in Elanthoor after working in northern India, Thomas Varghese is involved in farming. They also have a sister named Mary. Had he been alive, Thomas Cheriyan would be 78-years-old today.

"My brother joined the army, when I was 18, after completing his pre-university studies. I saw his last in 1966, when he came to the Chengannur railway station to send me away to north India for a job. I don’t even have a photo of him; it was lost when our family home was demolished," said Thomas Thomas, adding that the army occasionally informed them that they were still searching for Cheriyan.

Mary, who was 12 when her brother joined the army, remembers all his visits home. “When I was in school, I recall my father telling us that the newspaper reported a plane carrying my brother was missing. My mother was in bed for quite some time after hearing the news. She was very distressed,” she said.

Now, 56 years after their brother went missing, his family finally has the closure they deserve. They will soon be able to bring him home and provide him with a dignified resting place. Once the necessary formalities are completed, his remains will be entrusted to his family, and a heartfelt funeral will be held to honour his memory.