Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon

Param Vir Chakra Award

During the India–Pakistan war of 1971, he was stationed at the No.18 Squadron, "Flying Bullets" of IAF, flying the Folland Gnat fighter aircraft based at Srinagar. On 14 December 1971, Srinagar airfield was attacked – as part of Operation Chengiz Khan – by six Pakistan Air Force F-86 jets of 26 Squadron from PAF Base Peshawar. Fg Offr Sekhon was on readiness duty at that time. As soon as the first aircraft attacked, Sekhon rolled for take-off as No 2 in a two-Gnat formation, with Flt. Lt. Ghumman in the lead, just as the first bombs were falling on the runway. Only delayed due to dust kicked up by the bomb. Sekhon lost no time in singling out the first Sabre pair, which was re-forming after the bombing run. The Gnat Leader, Flt. Lt. Ghumman lost visual with his wingman just after take-off, remained out of the fight, leaving Sekhon to handle the muddle all by himself. In the ensuing air battle, Sekhon scored a direct hit on one Sabre and set another ablaze. The latter was seen heading away towards Rajauri, trailing smoke.

Sekhon, after being hit, was advised to return to the base by ATC Squadron Leader Virendera Singh Pathania. He is said to have flown in straight, wings level for some time, then going inverted and plummeting down, probably due to failure of control system. He attempted a last-minute ejection, which did not prove successful, as his canopy was seen to fly off. The wreckage of the Gnat was found in a gorge near the road coming from Srinagar town to the base, a few miles from the base. Despite many efforts by Army and Air Force, his remains were never found due to the mountainous terrain where his fighter went down.

A detailed story of his effort has been mentioned in fairly detailed account by Air Cmde Kaiser Tufail. His skill has been praised in an article by Salim Baig Mirza, the pilot who downed his aircraft during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The bravery, flying skill and determination displayed by Flying Officer Sekhon, against odds of 1:6, earned him India's highest wartime medal for gallantry, the Param Vir Chakra.

Citation

The Param Vir Chakra citation reads as follows:

CITATION

FG OFFR NIRMAL JIT SINGH SEKHON

18 SQUADRON 10877 F(P)

Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon was a pilot of a Gnat detachment based at Srinagar for the air defence of the valley against Pakistani air attacks. From the very outbreak of the hostilities he and his colleagues fought successive waves of intruding Pakistani aircraft with valour and determination, maintaining the high reputation of the Gnat aircraft. On 14 December 1971, Srinagar airfield was attacked by a wave of enemy Sabre aircraft. Flying Officer Sekhon was on readiness duty at the time. Immediately, however, no fewer than six enemy aircraft were overhead, and they began bombing and strafing the airfield. In spite of the mortal danger of attempting to take off during the attack, Flying Officer Sekhon took off and immediately engaged a pair of the attacking Sabres. In the fight that ensued, he secured hits on one aircraft and damaged another. By this time the other Sabre aircraft came to the aid of their hard-pressed companions and Flying Officer Sekhon's Gnat was again outnumbered, this time by four to one.

Even though alone, Flying Officer Sekhon engaged the enemy in an unequal combat. In the fight that followed, at treetop height, he almost held his own, but was eventually overcome by the sheer weight of numbers. His aircraft was shot down by a gunfire of one of the Sabres and he was killed.

The sublime heroism, supreme gallantry, flying skill and determination above and beyond the call of duty displayed by Flying Officer Sekhon in the face of certain death have set new heights in Air Force traditions.

Honours

• Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon is remembered for his gallantry and statues of him have also been erected in many cities in India.
• A marine tanker built in 1985 was named Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, PVC.
• Indian Army converted the room once used by Sekhon, into a museum called PVC Abode at Badami Bagh in Srinagar. It was unveiled on his 80th birth anniversary in July 2025, to preserve his legacy of courage and bravery during the 1971 War.

Statues and a bust

A statue in tribute of Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon was erected at the district court of Ludhiana (first erected at Samrala Chowk, Ludhiana) in the courtyard next to the flagpole. A decommissioned Folland Gnat fighter is part of the memorial and serves as a gate guardian.

His statue along with a decommissioned Folland Gnat fighter has been placed in the Indian Air Force Museum, Palam.

Balidan Stambh, the war memorial in Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir in 2009 paid tribute to him by inscribing his name on the pillars alongside the martyrs of the 1971 war. His name is displayed near the Amar Jawan Jyoti (Eternal Flame) and as relief mural on the outside background wall with the Param Vir Chakra awardees who attained martyrdom in J&K.

Air Marshal BR Krishna unveiled Sekhon's bust in 2021 at Govt. Senior Sec. School, Issewal in Ludhiana, his birthplace.

In popular culture

• The thirteenth episode of TV Series Param Vir Chakra, aired on DD National was on him in 1988. He was portrayed by actor Kanwaljit Singh
• A graphic novel titled Param Vir Chakra by Amar Chitra Katha dedicated their thirteenth story written by Sanjana Kapur and drawn by Durgesh Velhal in 2015.
• A graphic novel titled Param Vir Chakra Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon by Roli Books written by Ian Cardozo and drawn by Rishi Kumar in 2019.
• In the film Border 2, Diljit Dosanjh played the role of Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon.