IAF approves Group Captain rank for Abhinandan Varthaman
New Delhi, Nov 3: The Indian Air Force has approved the rank of Group Captain for Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who had downed an enemy jet during an aerial combat with Pakistan in February 2019 and was held captive for three days, official sources said on Wednesday.
The rank has been approved and he will get it once a laid down procedure is completed, they said.
Explaining the process, they said any official after getting a new rank, is able to wear it once there is a vacancy for the position.
Varthaman downed a Pakistani jet on February 27, 2019 when the neighbouring country launched retaliation against India for the Balakot airstrikes a day before.
The strike by India's warplanes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot and the Pakistani Air Force's subsequent retaliation the next day triggered fears of a war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
The most visible face of the confrontation was Wing Commander Varthaman whose capture by Pakistan after downing his MiG-21 fighter triggered the most serious military crisis between the two neighbours in decades.
Before his jet was hit, Varthaman downed the F-16 fighter of Pakistan. Varthaman was released on the night of March 1 by Pakistan.
He had suffered injuries while ejecting from his MiG-21 Bison during the aerial combat.
Later that year, he was conferred with the Vir Chakra, India's third-highest war time gallantry medal.
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CM Siddaramaiah to withdraw all cases against pro-Kannada activists
Bengaluru, Jan 27 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced on Monday that all cases registered against pro-Kannada activists will be withdrawn.
The CM was addressing a gathering at the unveiling of the 25-feet-tall bronze statue of Bhuvaneshwari, the goddess who represents the Karnataka state identity, on the premises of the Vidhana Soudha.
The statue of Bhuvaneshwari, which was sculpted at an approximate cost of Rs 21.24 crore is 41-feet-tall including the pedestal, and weighs around 31.5 tonne.
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While speaking at the event, although he acknowledged that one must love and embrace all languages, the CM said, in Karnataka, Kannadigas should follow the culture of speaking and interacting with “their brothers and other speakers” in Kannada.
“Instead of speaking incorrectly in other languages, we should speak our own language. In all our neighbouring states, the language spoken by the people of the respective state is sovereign. This should be practiced here, too,” said Siddaramaiah.
Insisting that everyone in the state should develop respect for the Kannada language, culture and art, the CM called for more learning and teaching of reading and writing Kannada.
“Only then will Kannada become the sovereign language,” he added.
