Marshal laid to rest with 17-gun salute, IAF fly-past
ARVIND SINGH, SON OF ARJAN SINGH, LIT THE PYRE AFTER SIKH PRIESTS PERFORMED RELIGIOUS RITUALS
NEW DELHI: War hero Arjan Singh, who led India’s Air Force against Pakistan in 1965, was cremated on Monday with full state honours, as fighter jets paid homage to him in a fly-past and guns boomed a last salute to the only Marshal of the force.
The body of the 98-year-old legendary aviator was consigned to the flames by his son Arvind amid chantings of Sikh hymns at the Brar Square crematorium in Delhi cantonment in the presence of several senior political leaders and the top brass of the Indian military.
A 17-gun salute was given in his honour while the IAF paid homage to the iconic hero of the 1965 war with a fly-past of Sukhoi Su 30 fighter jets in the ‘missing man formation’ — an aerial manoeuvre to show respect to a departed military leader.
Mi-17 V5 helicopters flying in a ‘vic’ formation and trooping IAF colours carried out another flypast in honour of Singh, who died of a cardiac arrest on Saturday. “End of an Era-last Salute to the Brave Air warrior and a great leader,” the IAF tweeted.
The national flag flew at halfmast at all government buildings in the national capital in honour of Singh.
Earlier, Singh’s body was taken to the Brar Square crematorium from his central Delhi residence, 7 Kautilya Marg, on a gun carriage.
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, BJP veteran LK Advani, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba and Army chief General Bipin Rawat were among those present at the crematorium.
Singh is the only officer to have attained the highest rank of the Marshal of the Air Force, equivalent to the Army’s five star field marshal, an honour given only to Sam Manekshaw and KM Cariappa.
Though known as a man of few words, Singh had deep knowledge of air power and applied it to a wide spectrum of areas, said Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Kapil Kak, a former IAF vice chief.