IAF Marshal Arjan Singh cremated with full state honours: Gun salute, fly past held to bid adieu to war veteran

Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh was on Monday cremated with full state honours at Delhi’s Brar Square. The mortal remains of Arjan Singh were taken in a gun carriage for the ceremony. Military band played farewell tune as the nation bid goodbye to the Air force veteran, NDTV reported.

The Army gave a 17-gun salute to the Marshal. The IAF officers sounded the bugle before the cremation at the Delhi Cantonment area.

The IAF’s Sukhoi-30 fighters in the “missing man” formation along with the Mi-17V5 choppers in “insignia” formation made the flypast paying their last respects to the national hero.

Fly past held, tributes being paid at last rites ceremony of Marshal of the Air Force #ArjanSingh at Delhi's Brar Square. pic.twitter.com/fIYWf15TyM

— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2017

Gun salute & fly past held at last rites ceremony of Marshal of the Air Force #ArjanSingh at Delhi's Brar Square. pic.twitter.com/28xxEpOj4I

— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2017

Arvind Singh, son of Arjan Singh lit the pyre after Sikh priests performed religious rituals.

The cortege with Arjan Singh’s body wrapped in the flag left his 7, Kautilya Marg residence at 8.30 am. It was decorated with marigold flowers.

#LIVE - Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh arrives at Brar Square to pay his last respects to Air Marshal #ArjanSingh pic.twitter.com/qf4t6zBf2l

— News18 (@CNNnews18) September 18, 2017

Delhi: Mortal remains of Marshal of Air Force #ArjanSingh being taken to Brar Square for the last rites ceremony. pic.twitter.com/RPUpQA4wW2

— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2017

#Visuals from Delhi's Brar Square where last rites ceremony of Marshal of Air Force #ArjanSingh will be performed. pic.twitter.com/aOTHNk9ZwX

— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2017

Delhi: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman lays wreath & pays tributes to Marshal of Air Force #ArjanSingh, at his last rites ceremony. pic.twitter.com/BaF9lFotTJ

— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2017

Delhi: IAF Chief BS Dhanoa & Chief of Naval staff Sunil Lanba pay tributes at Marshal of Air Force #ArjanSingh's last rites ceremony. pic.twitter.com/wx8EaWrWdG

— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2017

BJP veteran LK Advani, and Chief of Naval Staff Sunil Lanba laid a wreath at Brar Square in Delhi’s Cantonment area, Hindustan Times reported.

The Shipping Corporation of India, in a tweet, paid respects to Singh:

We pay our respects to the departed soul of 'Marshal of the Indian Air Force' Arjan Singh, the first 'Five Star' rank officer of @IAF_MCC

— Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) (@shippingcorp) September 17, 2017

BJP president Amit Shah paid respects to Singh in a post on Twitter: “Pained by the sad demise of Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh ji. I express my deepest condolences to his family and friends,” Mr Shah wrote on Twitter. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee condoled the demise of Arjan Singh, in a tweet.

Saddened at the passing of Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh. One of India's greatest of all time. Condolences to his family & IAF family

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) September 16, 2017

Singh’s last journey of 8-kilometre was accompanied with an Air Force band. He has been accorded a state funeral and the national flag will fly at half-mast in Delhi.

Arjan Singh, who led the air operations in the 1965 war with Pakistan, died at the Army Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi on Saturday. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 98.

Arjan Singh, the hero of the 1965 India-Pakistan war and the only Air Force officer to be promoted to five-star rank, was entrusted with the responsibility of leading the IAF when he was only 44 years old.

He was the chief of the IAF when it found itself at the forefront of the 1965 conflict.

Singh, who had flown more than 60 different types of aircraft, had played a major role in transforming the IAF into one of the most potent air forces globally and the fourth biggest in the world.

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

With inputs from agencies