India bids goodbye to Marshal Arjan Singh with 17-gun salute, fly past

India on Monday bid a teary farewell to the Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh with full state honours.

Singh's body was consigned to flames amid chanting of hymns at the Brar Square in Delhi Cantonment in the presence of several senior political leaders and top brass of the Indian Military.

A gun salute was given to Singh while IAF Sukhoi fighter jets carried out a fly past in the missing man formation in honour of the 1965 war hero who died on Saturday. There was a fly past by IAF choppers also.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, BJP leader LK Advani, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and three service chiefs were present at last rites ceremony of Marshal of Air Force.

One of finest soldiers of India, Singh, who had led an young Indian Air Force during the 1965 India-Pakistan war, died following a cardiac arrest at the age of 98.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in paying tributes to Arjan Singh. Modi drove straight to Singh's residence in the national capital on his return from a day-long visit to Gujarat, and paid his respects to Singh, the only Air Force officer to have been accorded the five-star rank.

The prime minister also wrote a message of condolence at Singh's residence and interacted with his family members.

"My tributes to the brave soldier who had a fighter's qualities of valour and courtesy. His life was dedicated to Mother India," Modi wrote in Gujarati in his message in the condolence book at Singh's residence.

President Ram Nath Kovind, who is also the supreme commander of the armed forces, visited Singh's 7, Kautilya Marg residence.

The three service chiefs --Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, Naval chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat -- as well as Minister of State Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Puri were also present.

Known as a man of few words, he was not only a fearless fighter pilot but had profound knowledge about air power which he applied in a wide spectrum of air operations. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honour, in 1965.