Indian Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh, famous for his role in the the 1965 India-Pakistan war, was hospitalised in the Army R&R hospital in critical condition on Saturday morning, following a cardiac arrest.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and IAF chief BS Dhanoa have all gone to the hospital where he’s admitted.
Went to R&R Hospital to see Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh, who is critically ill. I also met his family members. We are all praying for his speedy recovery. Doctors are doing their best.Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Speaking to the media, Nirmala Sitharaman said:
We hope he (Marshal of IAF Arjan Singh) will recover at the earliest. His condition remains critical.
Singh, 98, the only officer of the IAF to be promoted to five-star rank, was admitted to the Army's Research and Referral hospital this morning.
An icon of Indian military history, Singh had led a young IAF into the war in 1965 when he was hardly 44 years of age.
In 1965, when Pakistan had launched its Operation Grand Slam with an armoured thrust targeted at the vital town of Akhnoor, Singh had led the Indian Air Force through the war with courage, determination and professional skill.
He inspired the IAF to victory, despite the constraints imposed on a full-scale use of air force combat power.
In 1971, he was appointed as the Indian Ambassador to Switzerland. He concurrently served as the Ambassador to the Vatican.
Between 1989 to December 1990, he was appointed the Lt Governor of Delhi.
In honour of Singh’s service, in 2016, the then Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Anup Raha announced that the air base at Panagarh would be renamed after Arjan Singh. The announcement was made on his 97th birthday.
(With inputs from PTI)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)