Marshal Arjan Singh, hero of 1965 war, laid to rest with full state honours

Agencies

September 18, 2017

New Delhi, Sept 18: An indebted nation on Monday paid homage to Marshal of the Indian Air Force, Arjan Singh, who was laid to rest with full state honours at Delhi's Brar Square.

Arjan Singh had passed away at the Army's Research and Referral Hospital on Saturday. As a mark of respect to the departed son of the 'Mother India', the national flag will fly at half-mast in all government buildings in Delhi.

Arjan Singh, the hero of the 1965 India-Pakistan war and the only Air Force officer to be promoted to five-star rank, died at the age of 98.

Earlier, hundreds of people, including Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the three Service Chiefs, bid an emotional adieu to Arjan Singh at a state funeral at the Brar Square here.

Arjan Singh had led the air operations in the 1965 war with Pakistan. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Army's Research and Referral Hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest.

The Army gave a 17-gun salute to the Marshal. The IAF officers sounded the bugle before the cremation at the Delhi Cantonment area.

Besides Sitharaman, IAF Chief BS Dhanoa, Chief of Naval staff Sunil Lanba, Army Chief Bipin Rawat, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, senior BJP leader LK Advani, and several former Service Chiefs, relatives, and friends were also present.

The IAF's Sukhoi-30 fighters in the "missing man" formation along with the Mi-17V5 choppers in "insignia" formation made the flypast paying their last respects to the national hero.

Arvind Singh, son of Arjan Singh lit the pyre after Sikh priests performed religious rituals.

Earlier, the mortal remains of the Marshal was taken out in a gun carriage from his 7, Kautilya Marg residence.

The body was wrapped in the national flag. The carriage was decorated with marigold flowers. Singh's last journey of 8 km to Brar Square here was accompanied with an Air Force band.

Arjan Singh was the first five star officer of the IAF and was for a long time the only living five star officer.

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Who is Ramachandra Rao? Karnataka DGP, actress Ranya’s stepfather suspended over viral ‘obscene’ video

News Network

January 20,2026

Karnataka DGP (Civil Rights Enforcement) K Ramachandra Rao was suspended with immediate effect, as per a state government order issued on Monday, 19 January. The order cited conduct unbecoming of a government servant and causing embarrassment to the state administration.

The Karnataka government suspended Rao after a purported video showed him in a compromising position with a woman inside his official chamber. The video went viral on social media. Rao rejected the videos outright, terming them "fabricated and false".

Who is K Ramachandra Rao?

Rao is a DGP-rank officer who was heading the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement until his suspension. He was promoted to DGP in September 2023 and assumed office in October 2023, the Sunday Guardian reported.

He also served as the Chairman and Managing Director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.

His stint as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for the Southern Range was also marred by controversy. In 2014, during a cash seizure near Mysuru’s Yelwal, officials claimed the seized amount was ₹20 lakh, while the accused (Kerala-based merchants) claimed it was around ₹2.27 crore.

Rao, who was present during the seizure, denied all allegations. However, he was transferred soon after.

Allegations of collusion with a businessman surfaced, and a senior police officer was quoted by The Sunday Guardian as saying, “In Rao’s case, the CID has clearly mentioned that there was a great degree of lapse on the part of Rao and a deputy superintendent of police after it was brought to their notice that a few policemen, including a gunman attached to the IGP, were involved in the robbery.”

Rao had denied all wrongdoing in that incident. Despite past controversies, he rose to the state’s top police position, the Sunday Guardian reported.

Ranya Rao’s stepfather

Rao is the stepfather of Kannada actress Harshavardhini Ranya alias Ranya Rao, accused of orchestrating the illegal import of gold worth over ₹12.56 crore from Dubai to India along with two others — businessman Tarun Raju, and jewellery dealer Sahil Jain.

‘Obscene video’ controversy

A viral video showed Rao behaving inappropriately with a woman inside his office while in uniform.

The Karnataka government said in its Monday order that “vide videos and news reports widely broadcast on public news channels and media platforms, it is observed that Dr K Ramachandra Rao has acted in an obscene manner which is unbecoming of a Government Servant and also causing embarrassment to the Government.”

The order said the matter was examined by the state government, which found that the officer's conduct amounted to a violation of Rule 3 of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968.

The government said it is prima facie satisfied that "it is necessary to place Rao under suspension with immediate effect, pending inquiry".

During the suspension period, Rao will be entitled to subsistence allowance as per Rule 4 of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969.

The order also places restrictions on his movement, stating that during the period of suspension, the officer must not leave headquarters under any circumstances without the written permission of the state government.

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