NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) will accord the ceremonial guard of honour to outgoing chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh on Saturday and to his successor Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit on Sunday at Air Force Station on Lok Kalyan Marg. It is the same station whose sports complex was shut this week as the Centre seeks to take back the land.
The timing, however, is purely coincidental, officials insist. The decision to shift the ceremony out of Airforce headquarters was taken on account of space constraints and had been under discussion for a while, well before the land row erupted, officials added.
Until now, the guard of honour for top IAF brass was held at Vayu Bhawan. On July 1, Air Marshal Dixit had reviewed his guard of honour at Vayu Bhawan while taking over as vice-chief.
“The parking lot at Air HQ near South Block, where these parades are staged, is relatively cramped. The station, opposite the PM’s residence, offers a much larger parade ground. This will be the first time the ceremony is held there,” an IAF official said.
The closure of the Air Force Sports Complex meant ACM Singh’s customary golfing-out, scheduled for Wednesday did not take place. The farewell round is traditionally held for outgoing chiefs, who serve as patrons-in-chief of the course.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had hosted a farewell for ACM Singh, a day before he left for Cebu in the Philippines to attend the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). The ministry’s social media handle shared the photographs with a note for ACM Singh.
ACM Singh hangs up his uniform after 42 years. He led the IAF through Operation Sindoor, when its strikes pounded Pakistani airbases. As he later disclosed, S-400 systems brought down five Pakistani fighters and a large surveillance aircraft.
Air Marshal Dixit, an experimental test pilot with over 3,500 flying hours, now takes IAF’s helm as its 29th chief, with a tenure till December 31, 2028.
Defence minister bids adieu to Air Chief Marshal
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hosted a farewell for ACM A P Singh (above) a day before he left for Cebu in the Philippines to attend the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). The ministry’s social media handle shared the photographs with a note for ACM Singh.