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: Last rites of war hero Marshal of Indian Air Force Arjan Singh were performed with gun salute and fly past at Brar Square in Delhi’s Cantonment area on Monday.
The Indian Army gave a 17-gun salute to the Marshal, who died on Saturday following a cardiac arrest at the age of 98. Marshal Arjan Singh had led the Indian Air Force during the 1965 IndiaPakistan conflict. The IAF officers sounded the bugle before the cremation at the Delhi Cantonment area.
Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, IAF chief BS Dhanoa, chief of naval staff Sunil Lanba, army chief Bipin Rawat, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, senior BJP leader LK Advani, and several former service chiefs, relatives, and friends were also present.
The IAF’s Sukhoi-30 fighters in the “missing man” formation along with the Mi-17V5 choppers in “insignia” formation made the flypast paying their last respects to the national hero.
Arvind Singh, son of Arjan Singh, lit the pyre after Sikh priests performed religious rituals.
In the morning, the mortal remains of Marshal of Indian Air Force Arjan Singh were taken to Brar Square from his 7A Kautilya Marg residence.
The home ministry had said the national flag will fly at half mast in all government buildings in New Delhi on Monday in his honour.
“As a mark of respect to the departed dignitary, a state funeral will be accorded and national flag will fly half-mast on the day of the funeral (September 18) in Delhi on all buildings where it is flown regularly,” a home ministry spokesperson said on Sunday.
Singh was entrusted with the responsibility of leading the IAF when he was only 44 years old, a task he carried out with elan. He was the chief of the IAF when it found itself at the forefront of the 1965 conflict against Pakistan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday evening visited the house of Marshal to pay his tributes.
Soon after returning from his tour to Gujarat where he dedicated the Sardar Sarovar Dam to the nation, Modi reached Arjan Singh’s 7A Kautilya Marg residence, where he laid a wreath, and paid tributes to the legend.