Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, along with IAF Chief BS Dhanoa, visited the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi to inquire about his health, shortly before he passed away.
The only five-star rank officer with the Indian Air Force (IAF), Marshal Arjan Singh, died on Saturday at the age of 98. He was hospitalised earlier in the day after he complained of uneasiness. He then suffered a cardiac arrest and was stated to be in a critical condition.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, along with IAF Chief BS Dhanoa, visited the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi to inquire about his health, shortly before he passed away.
Modi tweeted: "India will never forget the excellent leadership of Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh in 1965, when the IAF saw substantial action. Sometime back I met him, who despite his ill health tried to get up to salute even though I said no. Such was his soldier discipline." He further tweeted: "My thoughts are with his family and those mourning the demise of a distinguished air warrior and fine human, Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh. RIP."
Paying a tribute, President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted: "Deeply saddened by the demise of Arjan Singh Marshal of Indian Air Force. My sincere condolences. May his soul rest in peace."
An icon of the Indian military history, Singh had led a young IAF into the 1965 war, when he was hardly 44 years of age. With nascent resources and limitations, he foiled Pakistan's Operation Grand Slam in the vital town of Akhnoor. The IAF, led by Singh, destroyed the trail of tanks and armoured vehicles, pushing back the Pakistani offensive and helping the infantry recover the territory.
In recognition of his services, he was conferred the rank of Marshal in January, 2002, making him the first and the only five-star rank officer with the IAF. So far, in the Indian Army, only two officers — K M Cariappa and Sam Manekshaw — have been conferred the five-star or the Field Marshall rank. No one has held the rank in the Navy.
Interestingly, Singh won his first distinguished medal by leading a squadron against the Japanese in Myanmar's Arakan province. The province is once again in news these days due to the Rohingya refugee crises. Singh's campaign later helped the British-led allied forces to conquer Rangoon.
He also served as India's envoy to Switzerland and Kenya in the 1970s, as member of the National Commission for Minorities, (1975-81) and also as the Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) of Delhi during 1989-90. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan for his meritorious services in the conduct of the 1965 war.
The Marshal is believed to have flown over 60 aircraft and remained a flyer until the end of his career with the IAF. He retired in August, 1969. In 2016, the crucial airbase at the Panagarh Air Force Station was renamed after the Marshal. It is also the headquarters of the newly raised 17 Crops, the Mountain Strike Corps.
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