The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind has written to Arvind Singh, son of Marshal Arjan Singh, conveying his condolences on the passing away of Marshal Arjan Singh.
In his message, the President has said, “I am extremely saddened to learn about the passing of our great and cherished air warrior and Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh, DFC.
Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh was a hero of World War II and won our nation’s gratitude for his military leadership in the War of 1965. He served the nation with distinction and was the first and only officer of the Indian Air Force who was honoured with the five-star rank as Marshal of the Air Force.
For generations of our fellow citizens, Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh has remained a living legend. His service to the nation continued even outside uniform, as Lt. Governor of Delhi, Ambassador of India to Switzerland and the Vatican, High Commissioner to Kenya and Member of the National Commission for Minorities. For his services and achievements, he was honoured with numerous awards including the Padma Vibhushan.
India mourns the loss of the greatest air warrior in its history. Smt @nsitharaman pays homage to the Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh pic.twitter.com/4Yf6izVYNO
— Raksha Mantri (@DefenceMinIndia) September 17, 2017
Please accept my heartfelt condolences and convey these to other members of your family as well as the Indian Air Force community. I pray to the Almighty to give you and your family the strength and courage to bear this irreparable loss. The nation mourns with you”.
A great loss for the Nation & the #IndianAirForce : Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh passes away at R&R Army Hospital, New Delhi. Today pic.twitter.com/u6FpQIUg7a
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) September 16, 2017
The last rites of Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh would be performed at Barar Square, Delhi at 10 a.m. tomorrow (18th September, 2017). As a mark of respect to the departed dignitary, a state funeral will be accorded and national flag will fly half-mast on the day of the funeral (i.e. 18th September, 2017) in Delhi on all buildings where it is flown regularly.
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had also condoled the demise of Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh.
In a series of tweets from his twitter handle yesterday the Prime Minister said that the Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh’s determined focus on capacity building in the IAF added great strength to our defence capabilities. Calling him a distinguished air warrior and a fine human the Prime Minister extended his thoughts to his family and those mourning his unfortunate demise.
India mourns the unfortunate demise of Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh. We remember his outstanding service to the nation. pic.twitter.com/8eUcvoPuH1
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 16, 2017
“India mourns the unfortunate demise of Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh. We remember his outstanding service to the nation.
Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh’s determined focus on capacity building in the IAF added great strength to our defence capabilities.
India will never forget the excellent leadership of Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh in 1965, when the IAF saw substantial action.
Sometime back I met him, who despite his ill health tried to get up to salute even though I said no. Such was his soldier discipline.
My thoughts are with his family and those mourning the demise of a distinguished air warrior and fine human, Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh. RIP”
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