Arjan Singh's funeral to be held today, flag to fly at half mast

Arjan Singh died at 7.47 pm on Saturday after suffering a heart attack.

The state funeral of Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, who passed away on Saturday evening, will be held on Monday at 10 am. The national flag will be flown at half mast in Delhi as a mark of respect to the late five-star ranked air force officer.

"The last rites of Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh would be performed at Babar 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 funeral in Delhi on all buildings where it is flown regularly," a Ministry of Home Affairs statement said.

Arjan Singh died at 7.47 pm on Saturday after suffering a heart attack. He was 98. Singh, 98 India's oldest, five-star ranked air force officer, was admitted to the Army's Research and Referral hospital on Saturday morning.

Born on 15 April 1919 in Lyallpur, Punjab (now in Pakistan), Arjan Singh entered the distinguished Royal Air Force College at Cranwell at the age of 19 and graduated as a pilot officer the following year.

Singh was the only officer of the IAF to be given a distinction equal to that of a Field Marshal.

In 1965, when Pakistan had launched its Operation Grand Slam with an armoured thrust targeted at the vital town of Akhnoor, Singh led the Indian Air Force through the war with courage, determination and professional skill.

Singh, an icon of India's military history, will always be remembered as a war hero who had successfully led a young IAF during the 1965 Indo-Pak war.

OneIndia News