New Delhi [India]: Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, an elite pilot in the Indian Air Force, has been promoted to the rank of Group Captain. The officer was involved in a dogfight with Pakistani fighter jets and received a Shaurya Chakra for shooting down an F-16 fighter jet during the engagement. The officer was cleared for promotion to the rank of Group Captain by the IAF and he would obtain his new rank shortly, sources told ANI.
The Group Captain is equivalent to a Colonel in the Indian Army.
Abhinandan’s MiG-21 fighter jet was shot down after it shot down the F-16 and landed in Pakistani-occupied Kashmir (PoK), where it was detained by the Pakistani military.
The Pakistani army was forced to release him due to heavy pressure from the Indian side and international intervention in the case.
Abhinandan was part of Srinagar-based 51 Squadron and had flown to thwart an air attack launched by the Pakistanis on February 27, 2019. India had launched an airstrike on the Pakistani terrorist installation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region led by the Jaish e Mohammed.
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Posted: Wednesday 03 November 2021, 16:45 IST
