Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, PVC

Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, Param Veer Chakra was an Indian Officer. He is the only member of the Indian Air Force to be honored with a Param Veer Chakra, India’s highest militant decoration. He was awarded with this honor as he solely defended the Srinagar Air Base against a Pakistani air raid during the 1971 war between India and Pakistan.

Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon was born in a small village in Ludhiana district of Punjab. His father served as Hon. Flight Lieutenant. Nirmal Jit Singh was commissioned into the Indian Air Force as a Flying Officer.

During the Indo-Pak war of 1971, he was flying the Folland Gnat fighter aircraft based at Srinagar. On 14 December 1971, when Flying Officer Sekhon was on readiness duty at the 18 Squadron, six Pakistani F-86 jets attacked the Srinagar Airfield. The Pakistani jets soon engaged ground targets. Although it was very difficult, Flying Officer Sekhon was able to take off in his Folland Gnat fighter aircraft to protect the airfield from the enemies. In the action that followed, Sekhon was able to have a direct hit on a Sabre and was able to set ablaze another one of the enemies’ aircraft, which headed towards Rajauri while trailing smoke. The remaining four enemy aircrafts pressed the attack.

After fighting for a long while at very low altitude, Sekhon’s aircraft was hit and Flying Officer Sekhon passed away. The other Pakistani aircrafts didn’t press the attack anymore and returned to Pakistan. The bravery, flying skill and determination displayed by Flying Officer Shekhon earned him India’s highest wartime medal for gallantry, the Param Veer Chakra. His skill was later praised in an article by Salim Baig Mirza, the pilot who shot him down.

Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon is remembered for his gallantry and statues of him have also been erected in many cities in Punjab. A marine tanker built in 1985 was named Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, PVC.

Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon

18 Squadron 10877 F(P)

Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon was a pilot of a Folland Gnat detachment based at Srinagar for the air defence of the valley against Pakistani air attacks. In accordance with the international agreement dating back to 1948, no air defence aircraft were based at Srinagar, until the outbreak of hostilities with Pakistan. Flying Officer Sekhon was, therefore, unfamiliar with the terrain and was not acclimatized to the altitude of Srinagar, especially with the bitter cold and biting winds of the Kashmir winter. Nevertheless, from the outset of the war, he and his colleagues fought successive waves of intruding Pakistani aircraft with valour and determination, maintaining the high reputation of the Folland Gnat aircraft. On 14 December 1971, Srinagar Airfield was attacked by a wave of six enemy Sabre aircraft. Flying Officer Sekhon was on readiness duty at the time. However, he could not take off at once because of the clouds of dust raised by another aircraft which had just taken off. By the time the runway was fit for take-off, no fewer than six enemy aircraft were overhead, and strafing of the airfield was in progress. Nevertheless, in spite of the mortal danger of attempting to take off during an attack, and in spite of the odds against him. Flying Officer Sekhon took off and immediately engaged a pair of the attacking Sabres. In the fight that followed, at tree top height, he all but held his own, but was eventually overcome by sheer weight of numbers. His aircraft crashed and he was killed. In thus, sacrificing himself for the defence of Srinagar, Flying Officer Sekhon achieved his object, for the enemy aircraft fled from the scene of the battle without pressing home their attack against the town and the airfield. The sublime heroism, supreme gallantry, flying skill and determination, above and beyond the call of duty, displayed by Flying Officer Sekhon in the face of certain death, set new heights to Air Force traditions. 

Nowadays statue of Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon is standing at the district court of Ludhiana near the flag celebration place for many national programs. A fighter aircraft model is also standing with the statue.