Kedarnath Chopper Crash: Couple Gave Up Seats For Granny And Child — A Gesture That Saved Their Lives
Kedarnath Chopper Crash: A couple, who gave up their helicopter seats to help a stranded grandmother and child, narrowly escaped a crash that killed seven others — including their own family members.
The Mahajans and the Jaiswals of Chandrapur and Yavatmal districts (in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region), were happy that they had completed a crucial part of their pilgrimage and it was the final leg of the sacred journey — a flight back from the revered Kedarnath shrine. But tragedy struck, and for the Mahajan couple, a simple act of kindness became the very reason they survived a deadly crash.
Pravin and Pooja Mahajan of Chandrapur were supposed to be onboard the helicopter that crashed in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district on June 15, killing all seven passengers — including their own close relatives. Their lives were spared only because of a gesture they made out of compassion, kindness, and charity — they gave up their seats for an elderly woman and her grandson, who had been separated from their family.
This moving account was first reported by BBC News Marathi, which spoke to the Mahajan couple after the tragedy.
“She pleaded with us… and we let them go”
Speaking to the news outlet, Pravin Mahajan said, “We had booked our return helicopter tickets with my saadu (wife’s sister’s husband), Rajkumar Jaiswal. As his family boarded, an elderly woman from Uttar Pradesh arrived with her grandson. They said that their family had gone ahead, and the grandma seemed distraught.”
“She requested us to give up our seats. We agreed without much thought,” he added. The weather was pretty rough, and despite the chance that they might be stranded for quite some time until another chopper was commissioned, the Mahajans gave up their seats and decided to take the pony ride to Gaurikund.
It was an ordinary gesture — helping someone reunite with their family. But soon after take-off, the helicopter flew into worsening weather. Moments later, news arrived: the aircraft had crashed into a gorge.
A spiritual journey cut short
The Mahajans were part of a five-member group that included Rajkumar Jaiswal, his wife Shraddha, and their two-year-old daughter Kashi. All had gone to Kedarnath for darshan on June 14 and booked a 5 am return flight for June 15.
Rajkumar, a coal trader and devout Shiva follower from Wani in Yavatmal, had vowed to complete darshan of all 12 Jyotirlingas. Kedarnath was to be the last. “He was so happy to be completing his vow,” said Pravin. But the crash cut the pilgrimage short — permanently.
Shraddha Jaiswal, who perished in the fiery crash, was Pooja Mahajan’s sister. The Jaiswal couple’s toddler — a daughter who was named Kashi after the holy city also known as Varanasi — was named so due to the family’s deep spiritual leanings and devotion to Lord Shiva.
The weight of survival
After the crash, the Mahajans made their way down from Kedarnath by pony and reached Rudraprayag to help recover the bodies of their family members. “We feel grateful to be alive, but it’s also a burden. We lost our loved ones — we feel both spared and shattered,” Pravin said, visibly shaken.
He added that they were later told the helicopter’s pilot may have been relatively new — a detail that has only intensified their unease.
Rajkumar Jaiswal had two children from a previous marriage and lived with his elderly mother in Wani. He was well known in the town for his spiritual devotion and had even helped host a Shiv Mahapuran discourse by Pandit Pradeep Mishra in Yavatmal once.
His sudden passing has cast a pall of grief over the local community.
A twist of fate and a heavy heart
The Mahajans do not know the name of the elderly woman or her grandson, the very people they stepped aside for. But their moment of compassion now defines the line between life and death in their own story.
“We gave up our seats thinking it was no big deal,” said Pravin. “That small gesture saved us. But it also left us with a lifetime of sorrow.”
Kirti Pandey is a senior independent journalist.
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