Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases in India, the Indian armed forces, comprising the Army, the Navy and the Air Force paid tribute to all the frontline workers and thanked them for their work. From fly-pasts to showering flower petals, here's a look in pictures of how the tri-services expressed gratitude towards frontline workers (All photos/Shadab Khan, Bipin Kokate, Ashish Raje, PIB)
Updated On: 2020-05-03 03:45 PM IST
In a bid to honour frontline workers including doctors, medical professional, police officials and paramilitary forces, the Indian Air Force choppers on Sunday showered flower petals on all frontline workers and hospitals, who are leading India's fight against the COVID-19 crisis.
All three services of the armed forces expressed their gratitude towards frontline workers. Besides aerial salute, the Indian Armed Force also planned activities such as fly-pasts by fighter jets and transport aircraft of the IAF, the military conducted band displays outside hospitals while the Navy will be lighting up warships on the docks of major cities such as Mumbai to express gratitude and honour the "corona warriors" of the country.
Two C-130J Super Hercules special operations transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force conducted a fly-past over the Dal Lake in Srinagar followed by another over Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh. The aircraft took off from Srinagar and flew all the way to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala to show gratitude towards COVID-19 warriors.
In photo: Indian Air Force's aircraft SU-30 flypast Mumbai's iconic Marine Drive to express gratitude towards all frontline workers fighting COVID-19 crisis.
The IAF choppers showered flower petals over hospitals treating coronavirus positive patients across the country. The list of hospitals in Delhi included AllMS, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, GTB Hospital, Loknayak Hospital, RML Hospital, Safdarjang Hospital, Ganga Ram Hospital, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Max Saket, Rohini Hospital, Apollo Indraprastha Hospital, and Army Hospital R&R," read the statement issued by the Defence Ministry.
Besides IAF's choppers, 46 Coast Guard ships carried out illumination, fire green flares and sound ships siren at 25 locations, including, the remote sites and far-flung island territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands, covering the coastline of 7516 km.
The armed forces also paid tribute to corona warriors in North East.According to a report that appeared on IANS, defence sources said that a helicopter flew to shower petals over Guwahati Medical College and Hospital, Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital while an Air Force band gave a musical salute to the corona warriors in Guwahati.
In photo: Residents of a society in South Mumbai watch Indian Navy helicopter Chetak showering flowers on corona warriors in Mumbai.
The tribute by India's armed forces began with the wreath-laying ceremony at the National Police Memorial where all the three Service Chiefs paid homage to the martyrs as part of the "Armed Forces Salute Corona Warriors" event. The aerial salute were flown as low as 500 meters so that people could witness the same from the comfort of their homes amid the national lockdown.
The Western Naval Command would be illuminating five naval ships from 7.30 pm to 11.59 pm off the Gateway of India in Mumbai. The five ships of the Indian Navy will display banners with the message, "India Salutes Corona Warriors". The Western Naval Command will also sound the ship's siren and fire a flare at 7.30 pm at anchorage.
In New Delhi, the Indian Armed forces also felicitated coronavirus warriors including doctors, nurses, ward boys, 'safai karamcharis' and other staff of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital who are leading India's fight against the COVID-19 infection.
In photo: Indian Air Force helicopter showers flowers on the staff of Indian Navy's INHS Asvini Hospital in South Mumbai.
In Mumbai, the aerial salute by India's armed forces began with Indian Air Force's helicopter showering flowers over JJ Hospital, Kasturba Hospital, and INHS Asvini Hospital, Colaba.
A Sukhoi-30 aircraft flew in a march-past from the Raj Bhavan to Marine Driver while MI-17 and Chetak choppers showered flowers on COVID-19 hospitals situated in the congested localities of South Mumbai. Members of the medical fraternity and other corona warriors were assembled outside the COVID-19 hospitals in Mumbai and they waved at the choppers to ackowledge the efforts of the Armed forces.
The gratitude gesture by the Indian Armed Forces comes at a time when the country is battling the coronavirus crisis with over 1,000 people having lost their lives and over 40,000 being infected by the global epidemic across the country.
In photo: The three service chiefs pay homage to the matryrs at the National Police Memorial in New Delhi.
The gratitude by the Indian Armed Forces was the third major display of gratitude towards corona warriors across the country. On March 22, the citizens of the country thanked the COVID-19 warriors by clapping, beating utensils and on April 5 responding to PM Narendra Modi's 9 pm, 9 minute appeal million across the country switched off their home lights and lit up candles and diyas to show solidarity and support to the frontline workers in the fight against coronavirus
