April 18, 2026 10:58 am (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
‘Panic reaction’: Rahul Gandhi on women’s bill, says PM Modi ‘wants to send a message’ | Adani Group shares rise as Gautam Adani becomes Asia’s richest, overtakes Mukesh Ambani | TCS Nashik ‘conversion’ case accused seeks anticipatory bail citing pregnancy | IT raids TMC candidate Debasish Kumar’s premises ahead of Bengal polls | Bengal SIR: Supreme Court allows voters restored by tribunal till April 21 and 27 to vote | 'Women won't spare you': PM Modi warns Opposition over resistance to quota bill | Vijay booked in 3 cases over poll code violation ahead of Tamil Nadu polls | 'Black law': Stalin burns copy of 'delimitation' bill, slams Modi govt | TCS halts Nashik BPO operations amid sexual abuse, conversion allegations | ‘We are surprised’: SC stays Pawan Khera’s bail over remarks on Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife
Abhinandan Varthman

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthman who shot down Pak Jet, promoted to the rank of Group Captain

| @indiablooms | Nov 04, 2021, at 11:07 pm

New Delhi/UNI: Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthman, who was involved in a dogfight with Pakistani fighter aircraft a day after the Balakot airstrike, has been promoted to the rank of Group Captain, sources said.

Varthman was among the pilots who faced the Pakistani fighter jets on February 27, 2019, a day after India conducted an airstrike at a terrorist camp in Balakot on February 26, 2019.

In response to the airstrike, Pakistan scrambled its fighter jets.

According to the IAF, Abhinandan's MiG-21 shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet, before being shot down.

He landed on the Pakistani side of the border, and was held captive for about 60 hours before being released.

Pakistan had denied reports of its F-16 aircraft being shot down.

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthman was awarded a Vir Chakra, the third-highest wartime gallantry award.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.