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Honouring a valiant officer

Staff Reporter

FACELIFT: The Gnat fighter aircraft gifted to the S.K. Pottekkatt Cultural Centre by the Defence Ministry being cleaned up on Wednesday for a function on Republic Day. — Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

KOZHIKODE: The Gnat fighter aircraft, which participated in the 1971 Indo-Pak war gifted to the S.K. Pottekkatt Cultural Centre here 14 years ago, is being spruced up for a function on Republic Day.

A function will be held at the cultural centre on January 26 to honour the late Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, flying officer, who shot down two Pakistani Sabre aircraft during the Indo-Pak war using the Gnat fighter established at the centre. Mr. Sekhon was a pilot of a Folland Gnat detachment based at Srinagar for the air defence of the Kashmir valley against Pakistani air attacks. On December 14, 1971, Srinagar airfield was attacked by six Pakistani Sabre aircraft. Though Mr. Sekhon was on readiness duty, he could not take off because of the dust raised by another aircraft that had just taken off.

However, Mr. Sekhon took off and shot down two Pakistani Sabre aircraft. Eventually, his aircraft crashed and he died. The nation honoured him with a Param Vir Chakra, the highest military award in India.

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