GUWAHATI
People in rural Arunachal Pradesh often go to the gaonburah or village headman’s house to discuss or resolve various issues.
However, on Wednesday (April 23, 2025), many residents of Tajang, a part of Bulla Tage village in the Lower Subansiri district, began visiting headman Tage Tade’s house to mourn the loss of his son – Corporal Tage Hailyang, one of 26 people massacred by terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday afternoon.
The 30-year-old Corporal, who was posted at a base of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Srinagar, was holidaying with his wife when members of The Resistance Front, a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist group, struck.
A devout Christian, he was married in December 2024, a member of his extended family said.
Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu mourned the death.
“Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Corporal Tage Hailyang of the Indian Air Force, a brave son of Arunachal Pradesh… While visiting Pahalgam with his wife, his life was cruelly taken in a senseless act of terror,” he posted on X.
“He served the nation with courage and honour, and his untimely death is a great loss not only to his family but to the entire country. Our thoughts are with his loved ones, especially his wife, who survived this horrific incident. May they find strength and solace in this unimaginable time of grief. We will always remember Corporal Hailyang for his service and sacrifice,” Mr Khandu wrote.
An IAF official said the body of Corporal Hailyang would be flown to New Delhi and then to Guwahati via an Air India flight at around 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday. Five members of his family would be accompanying the body.
