Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, born in Ludhiana, Punjab on July 17, 1945, was inspired by the experiences of his father who served in the IAF, and  later retired as a (Honorary) Flight Lieutenant. He was fascinated with aircrafts and the IAF since his childhood as his village was located in the vicinity of IAF base Halwara near Ludhiana.

Sekhon left his engineering course midway and joined the IAF. He was commissioned into the IAF on June 4, 1967 as a fighter pilot. After completing  his rigorous training, Sekhon joined the No 18 Squadron, known as “Flying  Bullets” in October 1968. During the Indo-Pak War of 1971, Sekhon flew Gnat jets, also known as “HAL Ajeet”, and shot down the Pakistani Sabre, which attacked the Srinagar Airfield.

On December 14, 1971, a formation of six enemy Sabre aircraft launched an attack on the Srinagar Airfield. Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon was initially unable to take off as dust clouds raised by a departing aircraft obscured the runway. By the time visibility cleared and the runway was ready, the enemy jets were already overhead, strafing the airfield.

Despite the extreme danger and overwhelming odds, Sekhon took off immediately and engaged two of the attacking Sabres. Flying at treetop height, he fought valiantly in the ensuing aerial combat. However, outnumbered, he was ultimately brought down when his aircraft crashed, claiming his life.

Through his sacrifice, Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon successfully defended Srinagar, as the enemy aircraft withdrew from the battlefield without continuing their assault on the town and the airbase. He became the first individual from the IAF to be awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the highest gallantry award of India.

Diljit Dosanjh’s emotional account of Border 2

On Saturday, Diljit Dosanjh took to social media to share an emotional anecdote linked to the Border franchise. “I remember when the first Border came, so many people around me went to watch it but I couldn’t because I didn’t have the money for it. My family also didn’t give me any money for it but even they didn’t have much so how could they spare it. I really wanted to watch the film then. Little did I know that I would get the chance to be in the film one day,” he recalled.

Also Read — Dhurandhar box office collection day 51: Ranveer Singh film surrenders to Border 2; earned only Rs 75 lakh

“Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon ji’s character, what a wonderful character! If you have never read about him, some people know about it, but you should definitely read and understand his life,” the actor-singer added.

Last year, there were rumours doing the rounds that Diljit Dosanjh may be dropped from Border 2 after he shared screen space with Pakistani actor Hania Aamir in the Punjabi comedy threequel Sardaar Ji 3 following the Pahalgam terror attacks. However, Border 2 producer Bhushan Kumar of T-Series confirmed Diljit is very much a part of the film.