Gun carriage, fly past mark India's only Air Marshal's last rites

Air Force old timers, including former chiefs, spoke fondly of Arjan Singh — the only Marshal of the Air Force — as someone whose legacy will never die. The mortal remains of the 98-year-old, who passed away on Saturday, was laid to rest with full state honours, including a 17 gun salute and a fly past on Monday.

Marking his last rites, hymns were performed at the Brar Square Crematorium in the Delhi Cantonment in the presence of several senior political leaders, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani.

In the fly past, Sukhoi 30 fighter jets made the missing man formation in the sky as a mark of respect for the departed.

"He has been my icon and will continue to be so. It's a moment of mourning and at the same time the celebration of the life he lived. He was a legend and an inspiration for many," said former Air Chief Marshal Fali Major.

"He was an exceptional leader, a powerful personality, and his legacy will continue. There have not been many military leaders in the world like him," said Arup Raha another former Air Chief.

The national flag flew at half-mast at all government buildings in the national capital in the honour of the iconic hero of the 1965 Indo-Pak war.

Singh's body was wrapped in the Indian tricolour and taken to the crematorium from his residence — 7 Kautilya Marg in central New Delhi — on a gun carriage.

Singh, who led the Indian Air Force during the '65 war, died of a cardiac arrest.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Singh's residence on Sunday to pay their tributes to the decorated war hero.