An image of PM Modi with Indian Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh is widely shared on social media. It is said that PM Modi is greeting Arjan Singh — the only surviving officer who led the Indian Air Force in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 — by serving tea with his hands and he is the first person in the country to do so.
The image is shared on Facebook with a caption: “भारत के इतिहास में पहले प्रधान मन्त्री, माननीय श्री मोदी जी ने फिल्ड मार्शल अर्जुन सिंह जी को खुद अपने हाथों से चाय परोसी और पाँव छूकर उनका आशीर्वाद लिया। मार्शल अर्जुन सिंह जी 97 वर्ष के हो गए हैं, पाकिस्तान के साथ 1965 की लड़ाई में वायु सेना का नेतृत्व करने वाले इकलौते जीवित मार्शल हैं। भारत माता की जय” (English translation: The first Prime Minister in the history of India, Hon’ble Shri Modi Ji himself served tea to Field Marshal Arjun Singh ji and took his blessings by touching his feet. Marshal Arjun Singh turns 97, the only living Marshal to lead the Air Force in the 1965 war with Pakistan. Long live Mother India.)
Here’s the link to the above post.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim, and found it to be MISLEADING.
Doing a simple Reverse Image Search, we found a ANI tweet carrying the same image on January 26, 2016, with a caption. “PM Modi meets 1965 war veteran Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh at ‘At Home’ function in Rashtrapati Bhavan.”
PM Modi meets 1965 war veteran Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh at ‘At Home’ function at Rashtrapati Bhavan. pic.twitter.com/dA5nCuSfbZ
— ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2016
We found that the very next year Arjan Singh died at the age of 98.
And PM Modi had condoled Arjan Singh’s demise on September 16, 2017.
My thoughts are with his family & those mourning the demise of a distinguished air warrior & fine human, Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh. RIP
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 16, 2017
Born on April 15, 1919, in Lyallpur, Punjab (now Pakistan), Arjan Singh became the only five-star officer of the Indian Air Force. He led the Indian Air Force during the Indo-Pak war of 1965 and played an important role in keeping India’s upper hand in this war. In view of his contribution to this war, he was awarded Padma Vibhushan — the country’s second highest civilian honour in the same year, i.e., 1965.
#YearsBack IAF : In Nov 1965, Air Chief Marshal (Later Marshal of the Indian Air Force) Arjan Singh became the first Air-warrior of Indian Air Force to receive the Padma Vibhushan. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the then President of India Shri Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. pic.twitter.com/YVeBr1tApA
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) November 20, 2018
Thus, it is clear that an old image of PM Modi with Indian Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh is falsely shared as a recent one.
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