PM recalls Biju’s bravery on birth anniversary

Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid a fitting tribute to Biju Patnaik on his 104th birth anniversary by tweeting a 1945-document that showed how Biju had bravely helped freedom fighter Ram Manohar Lohia.
The intelligence bureau report of October 1945 pertains to Biju, an ace pilot, flying Lohia from Delhi to Kolkata when the latter was underground. “Remembering Biju Babu on his Jayanti. This document from the pages of history (dated 1945) gives a glimpse of his courage (flying Dr. Lohia, who was then underground) and excellence. Biju Babu worked tirelessly for India’s progress and pioneered the development of Odisha,” Modi tweeted.
The intelligence bureau pointed out Biju “misused his position as a pilot by surreptitiously flying Lohia (who was the underground).” The report said, “Flying is Patnaik’s normal way of making a living; and we should prefer to see him unemployed rather than idle. If the Indian National Airways do not re-employ him, Tatas probably will because he is an excellent pilot.”
Notably, the India’s freedom struggle and the period after is replete with instance of Biju’s acts of heroism. On October 27, 1947, a day after the then Jammu and Kashmir ruler Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession with India, Biju, then an Indian Air Force pilot, had landed troops in Srinagar to secure the airport, which was crucial in preventing Kashmir from falling into the hands of Pakistani invaders.
Though he worked for British-controlled Royal Indian Air Force before Independence, Biju flew freedom fighters to secret meetings with supporters and gave shelter to Jaya Prakash Narayan, Aruna Asaf Ali besides Lohia in his house.
As a 32-year-old pilot, Biju had in 1947 flown Indonesian leaders Mohammad Hatta and Sultan Shariar from Jakarta to Delhi, braving the Dutch threat to shoot his aircraft down, lending Indian support to Indonesian freedom struggle.