Arjan Singh was a distinguished air warrior, says PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Marshal of Indian Air Force Arjan Singh was a distinguished air warrior.

 

IndiaToday.in  | Posted by Bijin Jose
New Delhi, September 16, 2017 | UPDATED 21:48 IST

Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh was known for his excellent leadership and as a distinguished air warrior, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today.

Arjan Singh, 98, passed away earlier today after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was India's oldest serving officer.

When he was made Marshall of the Air Force in 2002, he held the highest rank ever awarded to an officer of the IAF. The equivalent five-star ranks in the Army and the Navy are Field Marshal and Admiral of the Fleet, respectively.

Arjan Singh was born in 1919 in British India, in what is today Pakistan's Faisalabad. He was 19 when he joined the Air Force, and only 45 when he took over as its chief in 1964.

A year later, he led the force during the second Indo-Pakistan war. A Padma Vibhushan awardee, Singh served as India's Ambassador to Switzerland and The Vatican, the Indian High Commissioner in Kenya, and the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.

The Panagarh Air Force base in West Bengal was renamed after Arjan Singh last year.

Here's how prominent public figures and common citizens paid tribute to this towering figure of India's military history.