| Name(s) |
NIRMAL JIT SINGH
SEKHON, PVC |
| Date of
Birth |
July 17, 1943
in the village of Isewal, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. |
| Date of
Death |
December 14, 1971 |
|
Identity |
An officer of the
Indian Air Force |
|
Date-wise Events / Works |
- December 14, 1971:
Srinagar airfield was attacked by
six Pakistan Air Force F-86 jets.
Flying Officer Sekhon was on
readiness duty at that time. Soon
the enemy aircraft attacked the
airfield, shooting at ground
targets. Under heavy fire, he was
able to take off in his Gnat and
engage the Sabres. In the ensuing
air battle, Sekhon scored a direct
hit on one Sabre and set another
ablaze.The four remaining Sabres
pressed the attack, and after a
lengthy dog-fight at tree-top level,
Sekhon's aircraft was hit, and he
was martyred. The remaining
Pakistani aircraft returned to
Pakistan without pressing the
attack.
- June 04, 1971: He was commissioned into the
Indian Air Force on this day as a Pilot Officer.
|
|
Other Events &
Developments |
- The bravery, flying skill and
determination displayed by Flying
Officer Sekhon earned him
India's highest wartime medal for
gallantry, the Param Vir Chakra.
- His skill was later
praised in an article by Salim Baig
Mirza, the pilot who shot him down.
|
| Awards
and Accolades |
He was posthumously awarded the
Param Vir Chakra, India's
highest military decoration, in
recognition of his lone defence of
Srinagar Air Base against a Pakistani
air raid during the Indo-Pakistani War
of 1971. He is the only member
of the Indian Air Force to be so
honoured. |
| Other |
Despite many search efforts by army and
airforce his corpse was never found due
to the mountainous terrain of where his
fighter went down, much to the
disappointment of his wife, family and
the nation. |
|
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