Bhawana Kanth becomes 1st woman pilot of IAF to qualify to undertake combat missions
New Delhi, May 22: Scripting history, Flight Lieutenant Bhawana Kanth on Wednesday became the first woman pilot of the Indian Air Force to qualify to undertake combat missions on a fighter jet.
IAF officials said Kanth has completed operational syllabus for carrying out combat missions on Mig-21 Bison aircraft during day time.
"She is the first woman fighter pilot to be qualified to undertake missions by day on a fighter aircraft," IAF Spokesperson Group Capt Anupam Banerjee said.
At present, Bhawana is posted at the Nal base in Bikaner.
Another official said she will be allowed to carry out night operations once she completes training for night missions.
Bhawana joined the fighter squadron in November 2017 and flew the first solo on MiG-21 Bison in March last year.
"With her dedication, hard work and perseverance she has become the first woman officer of the IAF to achieve this feat," said Group Capt Banerjee.
She is from the first batch of women fighter pilots of the IAF.
Three women Kanth, Avani Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh were commissioned as flying officers in July 2016, less than a year after the government decided to open the fighter stream for women on an experimental basis.
The IAF has already selected the next batch of three women trainee pilots for the fighter stream.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
