Gone, yet not forgotten: Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon

Dedicated to Fg Offr Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon of 18 Sqn IAF who single-handedly battled six Sabres in a Gnat Mk I on 14 Dec 71. You may have forgotten. It has already been 50 years. It has been 50 years since the Surrender of East Pakistan military command. It has been 50 years when this young lad made the supreme sacrifice.

Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon was born on 17 Jul 1945 in the Issewal village of Ludhiana. He was fascinated with the life of the Air Force ever since his childhood as his village was in close vicinity of the Halwara airbase. He also drew inspiration from his father who had served in the Air Force and retired as a Flight Lieutenant (Honorary). The young Nirmal Jit Singh soon turned his dream into reality when he was commissioned into the IAF on 04 Jun 1967 as a Gnat pilot. He joined the No. 18 Squadron- The Flying Bullets- in 1968.

The young, inexperienced, yet bold and defiant Flying Officer was unfamiliar with the terrain and was not accustomed to the bitter cold and biting winds of the Kashmir winter when the war broke in 1971. Thanks to the international agreement dating back to 1948, no air defense aircraft were based at Srinagar, until hostilities broke out with Pakistan. Nevertheless, he and his colleagues fought successive waves of intruding Pakistani aircraft with valor and determination. On 14 December 1971, Srinagar airfield was attacked by six Pakistan Air Force F-86 jets of 26 Sqn from PAF base Peshawar.

It was that day when Fg Offr Sekhon was on readiness duty. As soon as the first aircraft attacked, he rolled for take-off as No. 2 in a two-Gnat formation, with Flt Lt Ghumman in lead, just as the first bombs were falling on the runway. He could not start immediately as the dust from the first Gnat was clearing. By the time the runway was fit for take-off, the six enemy aircraft were overhead, and the attack on the airfield was in progress (Credits-Honourpoint). Nevertheless, despite the immense danger of attempting to take off during an attack, Fg Offr Sekhon took off and immediately engaged a pair of attacking Sabres. In the ensuing air battle, he made a direct hit on one Sabre and set another ablaze. The latter was seen heading away towards Rajauri, trailing smoke (Credits-Honourpoint).

He thus succeeded in damaging and knocking off two of the enemy aircraft. In the fight that followed, at treetop height, Fg Offr Sekhon held his own but was eventually overcome by the sheer weight of numbers. Fg Offr Sekhon, after being hit, was advised to return to the base. It is believed that he had flown in straight, wings level for some time, then going inverted, plummeting down, probably due to the failure of the control system. He attempted a last-minute ejection, which did not prove successful, as his canopy was seen to fly off.

His aircraft crashed and he was martyred but his sacrifice did not go in vain. The Sabre jets, unable to complete their attack on the town and its airfield, immediately retreated and fled the scene. The true heroism, exemplary courage, flying skill, and determination, above and beyond the call of duty displayed by Flying Officer Sekhon, was in the finest tradition of the IAF. His bravery and skill, against odds of 1 to 6, earned him India’s highest wartime medal for gallantry, the “Param Vir Chakra”.

Fg Offr Sekhon was the first officer of the IAF to have received the nation’s highest gallantry award, “Param Vir Chakra” and continues to be remembered as one of the greatest air warriors of the IAF.

Reference: Gazette of India, 29th January 1972 - No.7 - Pres/72 dated 20th January 1972