NEW DELHI: The defence ministry in an unprecedented humanitarian decision has given the green signal to the commissioning of a 22-year-old flight cadet, who got paralysed from waist downwards after his trainer aircraft crashed last year, as a full-fledged officer in the IAF.
Defence minister A K Antony on Friday approved the proposal of Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne for retention in service and commissioning'' of flight cadet R K Herojit Singh as a ground duty officer in the accounts branch of IAF as a special case''.
Hailing from a large middle-class family in Manipur, cadet Singh sustained spinal cord injuries after the Kiran aircraft he was flying crashed at the Air Force Station in Hakimpet on August 28, 2011, just two months before he was to be commissioned into the IAF as a fighter pilot.
Wheelchair-bound as a paraplegic, cadet Singh is recuperating at the military hospital in Kirkee (Pune). Mobile on his wheelchair, his intellectual and other motor capabilities are fully intact. He had completed over 80% of his training and bagged several awards at the National Defence Academy and Air Force Academy during his four years of training, including 'the most accomplished flight cadet' of his course,'' said an officer.
With ACM Browne being a firm believer'' in People first, mission always'', along with the force's credo of not being the one to leave its people or equipment behind'', the IAF chief approached Antony for special approval'' in the case.
Cadet Singh will now begin a further six months of training in the accounts branch at the Air Force Academy at Dundigal (Hyderabad) from January 9. The case is special since he did not meet the medical norms for getting commissioned after his injury. He is highly-motivated and eager to serve the IAF,'' he added.
Antony nod for commissioning of paralyzed IAF cadet
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Antony nod for commissioning of paralyzed IAF cadet
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Antony nod for commissioning of paralyzed IAF cadet
