‘Fitness first’: IAF chief Dhanoa on Abhinandan’s return to cockpit

Abhinandan became the first IAF pilot to shoot down an F-16 fighter jet during an aerial combat with the Pakistani Air Force. He had returned to India on Friday after spending more than 50 hours in the custody of the Pakistan Army.

The decision on whether Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will ever fly a fighter jet will depend on his medical fitness, Indian Air Force chief BS Dhanoa said on Monday. The 35-year-old pilot had ejected from his MiG-21 fighter jet last week after an aerial engagement with an F-16 of the Pakistan air force that had transgressed into Indian air space. He returned to India on Friday after spending more than 50 hours in the custody of the Pakistan Army.

IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman has been undergoing medical treatment at Army’s Research and Referral hospital in New Delhi. (ANI)

The IAF chief said no chances are taken with the medical fitness of a pilot. “Whether he flies or not again depends on his medical fitness. That’s why post ejection he has undergone medical fitness test. Once he gets his medical fitness then only will he get into a fighter cockpit,” said Dhanoa.

News agency ANI had reported that Abhinandan suffered an injury in his lower spine when he ejected from his MiG-21.

Watch: IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman arrives in India to a hero’s welcome

The MRI scans revealed that though no bugs had been found on the IAF pilot, there were signs of two injuries. While one injury was on his lower spine when he ejected from his plane, the other injury was on a rib, ANI quoted sources as saying. The second injury was possibly suffered when he was assaulted by some locals when he parachuted into Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) after his plane was shot down.

For the last two days, Abhinandan has been undergoing medical treatment at Army’s Research and Referral hospital in New Delhi. PTI reported that he has told senior IAF commanders and doctors treating him that he wants to start flying at the earliest.

Wing Commander Abhinandan became the first IAF pilot to shoot down an F-16 fighter jet during an aerial combat with the Pakistani Air Force. Abhinandan was captured by the Pakistani Army after his MiG-21 Bison jet was hit in a fierce dogfight.

Abhinandan was among the first pilots whose fighter jets had been scrambled to repulse a package of Pakistani war planes that had transgressed into Indian airspace to target military installations. The PAF assault came a day after Indian Mirage 2000 jets bombed a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp at Balakot in an unprecedented, peace-time cross-border air strike.