Sardar Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon will be portrayed by Diljit Dosanjh in Border 2. The film is a tribute to the real-life hero who served as an Indian Air Force officer.
Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon was an officer in the Indian Air Force. He was born on July 17, 1943, and failed on December 14, 1971. He was given the Param Vir Chakra after his death, which is India’s topmost military honour during wartime, for guarding Srinagar Air Base by himself against a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) air raid in 1971, which was part of the Indo- Pakistani War. Only one person in the Indian Air Force has received the PVC.
Both the exact position of Flying Officer Sekhon’s body and the crash point of his aircraft are still unknown.
Early Life of Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon
The Sikh Jat family of Isewal welcomed Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon into this world on July 17, 1943, in the British Indian village of Isewal, in the province of Punjab. His parents were Harbans Kaur and M.W.O. Tarlok Singh Sekhon. On June 4, 1967, he was appointed Pilot Officer in the Indian Air Force.
Award for Param Vir Chakra
He flew the Folland Gnat fighter aircraft out of Srinagar while serving with the IAF’s No.18 Squadron, “The Flying Bullets,” during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. On December 14, 1971, six Pakistan Air Force F-86 aircraft from 26 Squadron from PAF Base Peshawar assaulted the Srinagar airstrip. At the moment, Flying Officer Sekhon was on readiness duty. Just as the first bombs were dropping on the runway, Sekhon rolled for takeoff as No 2 in a two-Gnat formation, with Flt. Lt. Ghumman leading the charge as soon as the first aircraft attacked. Sekhon wasted no time in identifying the first Sabre pair, which was re-forming following the bombing run, only being delayed by the dust blown up by the previous Gnat. Shortly after takeoff, the Gnat Leader, Flt. Lt. Ghumman, lost sight of his wingman and stayed out of the battle, leaving Sekhon to deal with the confusion alone. Sekhon hit one Sabre directly and burned another in the resulting air fight. The latter was observed leaving in smoke in the direction of Rajauri. Pakistani records, however, refute any aircraft losses to Sekhon.
ATC Squadron Leader Virendera Singh Pathania advised Sekhon to return to the base after being hit. He is reported to have flown in straight, with his wings level, for a while before flipping over and falling, most likely as a result of a control system malfunction. His canopy was observed flying off during his unsuccessful last-minute ejection attempt. A few miles from the base, in a gorge next to the road leading from Srinagar town to the base, was the wreckage of the Gnat. Because of the rugged terrain where his fighter went down, his remains were never located, despite numerous efforts by the Army and Air Force.
A pretty full summary of his efforts has been provided by Air Cdre Kaiser Tufail. The pilot who shot him down, Salim Baig Mirza, later lauded his abilities in an article. Against odds of 1:6, Flying Officer Sekhon’s courage, flying prowess, and tenacity won him India’s highest wartime medal for valor, the Param Vir Chakra.
Honors
Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon, PVC was the name of a maritime tanker constructed in 1985.
A bust and statues
In the courtyard beside the flagpole, a statue honoring Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon was placed at the district court of Ludhiana. The statue was initially placed at Samrala Chowk in Ludhiana. The memorial features a decommissioned Folland Gnat fighter that acts as a gate guardian.
The Indian Air Force Museum in Palam now houses his statue in addition to a decommissioned Folland Gnat aircraft.
The war memorial in Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Balidan Stambh, honored him in 2009 by writing his name on the pillars next to the names of the 1971 war’s martyrs. Air Marshal BR Krishna unveiled Sekhon’s bust in 2021 at Govt. Senior Sec. School, Issewal in Ludhiana, his birthplace. His name is exhibited next to the Amar Jawan Jyoti (Eternal Flame) and serves as a relief mural on the outside background wall with the Param Vir Chakra winners who achieved martyrdom in J&K.