BHOPAL: “It is Vijay Diwas today,” Group Captain Varun Singh’s father Col (retired) K P Singh told TOI on Thursday, when the air warrior’s mortal remains were flown to Bhopal. “A matter of pride for the whole country,” he remarked.
Anguished, of course, but with fortitude befitting a soldier’s passing, the Colonel said: “I am proud of my son. He was a real fighter and fought till his last breath. He was a good son, a good husband and a good father. His friends remember him as a true friend, the best guide and instructor.”
News of the December 8 crash had come as a shock. The next few hours were nerve-wracking as information was sketchy. By late afternoon, it was revealed that Varun Singh was the sole survivor. He was shifted to Bengaluru that evening.
Talking about his son’s condition in hospital, Col Singh said, “Reports of Varun recovering were all rumours. He was critical when brought to the hospital and remained stable, but critical.”
K P Singh and his wife Uma, a former teacher, were in Mumbai at the time of the accident and rushed to Bengaluru. Varun was conscious when taken to the hospital, but never regained consciousness, said his father. “Due to the pain of severe burn injuries, patients are kept unconscious,” he said.
Varun Singh died at the IAF Command Hospital in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Asked about the circumstances of the incident, Singh said that a court of inquiry is underway and the top authorities are looking into every aspect of it. “Let’s wait for the inquiry to conclude and not speculate,” he said.
